Mental Health Care
What is Mental Health?
Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.
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Over the course of your life, if you experience mental health problems, your thinking, mood, and behaviour could be affected. Many factors contribute to mental health problems, including:
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Biological factors, such as genes or brain chemistry
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Life experiences, such as trauma or abuse
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Family history of mental health problems
Not sure if you or someone you know is living with mental health problems? Experiencing one or more of the following feelings or behaviours can be an early warning sign of a problem:
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Eating or sleeping too much or too little
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Pulling away from people and usual activities
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Having low or no energy
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Feeling numb or like nothing matters
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Having unexplained aches and pains
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Feeling helpless or hopeless
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Smoking, drinking, or using drugs more than usual
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Feeling unusually confused, forgetful, on edge, angry, upset, worried, or scared
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Yelling or fighting with family and friends
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Experiencing severe mood swings that cause problems in relationships
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Having persistent thoughts and memories you can't get out of your head
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Hearing voices or believing things that are not true
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Thinking of harming yourself or others
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Inability to perform daily tasks like taking care of your kids or getting to work or school
Early Warning Signs
Mental Health Care in General Practice
General Practice plays a pivotal role in providing access to mental health care in Australia. At Belgravia Medical Centre, we provide comprehensive care encompassing both mental and physical health needs. Mental health care is often integrated into routine general practice consultations.
Your GP will use a multi-tiered approach to manage mental illness. Using a proactive and stepped care approach, your GP will ensure patients receive the appropriate level of care dependent on the complexity of their condition.
Visiting your regular GP provides a comfortable and safe space to discuss mental illness where we are ideally placed to advise patients on how to best maintain and monitor their mental health.
GP Mental Health Care Plan
A GP Mental Health Care Plan (also sometimes called a mental health treatment plan or mental health plan or GPMHCP) is a document that your GP writes with you about treating an identified mental health condition. Your GP will complete the Plan with you during your consultation to identify what type of health care you will require and details about your goals as discussed with your Doctor.
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A GPMHCP allows you to claim up to 10 subsidised sessions each calendar year with a Medicare registered mental health professional. This means that your GP may refer you to see a psychologist, psychiatrist, social worker or occupational therapist.
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After the first six sessions with your chosen mental health professional (e.g., clinical psychologist, social worker), you can revisit your GP for a mental health review. They will assess your progress and, if required, refer you for 4 more Medicare-subsidised psychological consultations.
I need support now
You can call any of the following crisis lines 24 hours a day, 7 days a week:
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Emergency 000
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Beyond Blue 1300 22 46 36
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Lifeline 13 11 14
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Kids Helpline (for young people ages 5 to 25) 1800 551 800
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Mental Health Emergency Response Line 1800 676 822
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Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467