Book an Appointment to Discuss Your Mental Health
Book an Appointment to Discuss Your Mental Health
Experiencing a mental health issue can be extremely distressing. If you or a loved one is struggling with their mental health, visiting your local general practitioner can be a good first point of call.
At Medical Hub @ RMIT, our GPs are experts in mental health clinic services. Our doctors can administer a holistic assessment of the mental and physical sides of your clinical presentation. It is common that one of our general practitioners will notice a physical illness or a medication that may be impacting your mental health. They might also ask you to undertake blood tests that may detect a thyroid issue or nutritional deficiencies that may exaggerate your symptoms.
Our GPs are also knowledgeable of the local mental health services landscape and will be able to prepare a referral to a professional suitable to your circumstances. Common referrals include psychiatrists, generalist and clinical psychologists, counsellors, mental health clinicians, and more.
Our GPs are also experienced in developing mental health care plans, equitable learning referrals, and support for consideration for extended leave from study or work.
Our doctors with a focus on mental health
Conditions that we see regularly
Depression
It’s very common to feel low or in a bad mood from time to time. Feeling unhappy can even be a productive emotion, alerting you to a negative situation or circumstance that you’d like to avoid in the future.
However, some people experience long periods of feeling intensely sad, sometimes extending into weeks, months or even years. This feeling of sadness can appear without any obvious reason. Feeling low for long periods of time may indicate depression.
If you are experiencing depression please contact one of our experienced GPs to make an appointment.
Anxiety
Anxiety is the way that your body naturally responds to stress. It’s usually experienced as a feeling of fear or apprehension. Everybody experiences anxiety at some point in their life and it is a totally normal, and often healthy part of being an adult.
However, sometimes symptoms of anxiety fail to go away for an extended period of time, which can make it difficult to cope with the ins and outs of daily life. This may be a sign that you have an anxiety condition.
If you are dealing with anxiety please make an appointment to see one of our experienced GPs.
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a complex mental health condition characterised by episodes of psychosis, hearing voices, delusions, and disordered or confused thinking.
If you are experiencing such symptoms please make an appointment to see one of our experienced GPs.
Bipolar Affective Disorder (BPAD)
Bipolar affective disorder (BPAD) is a mental health condition that is characterised by severe mood swings. These mood swings often take the form of depression or mania and can last up to several months at a time.
If you are experiencing such symptoms please make an appointment with one of our experienced GPs.
Personality Disorders
There are multiple types of personality disorders. People with personality disorders can often be seen as withdrawn or dramatic and emotional, and sometimes odd and eccentric. The one thing that those experiencing a personality disorder have in common is that their personality traits make it difficult for them to adapt to different situations. This can impact the way they form positive relationships with their friends and family.
If you are experiencing such symptoms please make an appointment with one of our experienced GPs.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Every adult experiences anxious thoughts at some point in their life and those thoughts can even act as a useful prompt for action. For example, if you leave the house and think ‘did I leave the hob on?’ you may return to the house to find the hob burning and prevent an accident.
However, sometimes these anxious thoughts can become obsessive, which may influence your ability to cope with everyday life.
If you are experiencing such symptoms please book an appointment to see one of our experienced GPs.
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
PTSD is a mental health condition that is triggered by an intensely terrifying or stressful event. Symptoms are broad but often include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety.
If you are experiencing such symptoms please contact us to make an appointment with one of our experienced GPs.
Mental health care plans
A mental health care plan is a clinical assessment, treatment and management plan designed for people experiencing a mental health condition. This can be used for referral to a generalist or clinical psychologist if appropriate. If you are experiencing mental health symptoms and would like to discuss the development of a mental health care plan, feel free to schedule an appointment with one of our doctors.
If you have a mental health care plan you are entitled to Medicare rebates for up to 10 group or individual appointments with an allied mental health service in a 12 month period. Our doctors can refer you to a local mental health practitioner, or you can refer to Beyond Blue, which allows you to find a mental health professional near you.
Booking a mental health assessment
If you do plan to book a mental health assessment with one of our GPs, please ensure that you book a double appointment. During the assessment one of our doctors will make an assessment of your mental health and often conduct a physical exam.
It is essential that our GPs have enough time to conduct the assessment properly, which is why a double appointment is necessary.
FAQs
Your privacy is maintained at all times in accordance with our Privacy policy. In order to establish Medicare eligibility for Medicare Benefit Schedule (MBS) funded psychology sessions, your doctor will lodge a claim with Medicare and this will be on your Medicare claims history.
Each psychologist will have their independent billing policy. Clinical psychologists generate a higher rebate from Medicare, thus a higher fee may not indicate a higher out of pocket cost. Please check the billing policy of the psychologist prior to making an appointment.
Yes. The total number of Medicare rebatable sessions remain the same despite the psychologist providing the service, so long as they are registered with Medicare. A new referral will be required when changing psychologists.
Bulk billing is available to RMIT students and staff, concession card holders and children under 16 only. A private fee applies to those who do not meet this criteria. The out of pocket fee is approximately $30. The rebate can be processed at reception back onto a debit card.