A general practitioner can be a good starting point to discuss
mental health difficulties such as anxiety and depression, obtain
medications/prescriptions for some mental health difficulties, and
to get referrals to more specialist mental health interventions
like a psychologist.
It is recommended to search for a GP who has a background working
with young people with mental health difficulties and a good place
to start is contacting your local community health care centre to
ask about their youth health options, or contacting a specific
youth health service such as headspace .
Factors that can affect whether a young person will visit a GP are
the things such as financial concerns, the accessibility (location
and time it takes to see a GP), stigma, shame, fear, and not
understanding the role of a GP. All health care professionals
across all networks should be aware of these factors, and do what
they can to lessen their impact in order to make the young person's
help seeking journey as beneficial as possible. For example,
helping them to obtain their own Medicare card prior to meeting
with a GP would reduce their financial concerns. You can find more
information about Medicare and the eligibility criteria on the
Reach Out website.
Traditionally there have been obstacles to delivery of quality
mental health care in General Practice. Factors to consider are
limited education and training about mental health difficulties and
GPs having limited referral pathways. The Department of Health and
Ageing has funded the Better Outcomes in Mental Health Care
initiative which aims to address factors such as these.
beyondblue offers a service on their site to
locate a GP or health care professional in a specific area.