Mental health called to mind in telechat

"Even those in the metropolitan area struggle to find a good mental health clinician that they can work with, let alone those in the rural and remote regions," says 'Call to Mind' founder and psychiatrist Dr Ben Chia.

And "in a small community, it might be hard for you to talk about your problems to your psychiatrist or your GP who you also see at the shops," he said.

Mental health in rural and remote areas has received attention lately with a review of the mental health system finding rates of mental illness and suicide continue to rise in Australia, even with increased spending in the area.

This has led to the establishment of the National Mental Health Commission's Productivity Commission to determine better ways of delivering mental health care to the community.

Demand for face-to-face psychiatric services is so high that some metropolitan clinicians are unable to take new patients. For those who do, their patients can face a three-month waiting period for their first consultation.

Waiting times for initial telehealth psychiatric consultations can be as little as one week, and can also be more flexible than the standard office hours offered by traditional services.

Patients are supported by Call to Mind to find the practitioner who would be the best fit for them, schedule the appointment and do a test video call to ensure when the consultation takes place there are no technical problems.

The system was developed by the CSIRO to be secure, high-quality video that is easy to use. It is accessed through the user's web browser without the need to download extra software, and the system is able to adjust the quality of the video to suit the speed of the internet connection.

Psychiatrists bulk-bill the initial assessment (up to four one-hour sessions). For ongoing treatment there are out of pocket expenses between $50 and $100, but some psychiatrists and psychologists may also bulk-bill or make allowances for financial hardships, such as those living on pensions.