Media release

Mental Health of Australians deteriorating: Virtual Psychology providing relief

Amplar Health is part of the Medibank group. This media release was originally posted on the Medibank website. This is an excerpt only and the full release can be viewed here.

Industry experts are warning that the mental health of Australians is deteriorating with data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, reporting more than 2 in 5 Australians struggle with a mental health issue in their lifetime.

Amplar Health CEO, Dr Andrew Wilson said, “It’s alarming but what concerns clinicians even more is that those who need support can’t access professional help.”

An Australian Psychological Society survey of more than 1400 members nationwide examined the impacts of the pandemic on private, public and not-for-profit psychologists and found a record number are now unable to see patients. “One in three can no longer take on new clients, before the pandemic only one in 100 had closed their books to new patients,” says Dr Wilson. He explained the situation was a significant issue for patients, “In addition, I’m hearing reports that those who do manage to get an appointment are still facing a 12-month waitlist- that rings alarm bells.”

In response, Amplar Health in partnership with MyHealth has launched a new virtual psychology offering and rolled it out across all MyHealth GP clinics, with more than 250 applicants registering for the service in just three months. Interestingly too, 70% of patients who have already engaged with virtual psychology have made an appointment for a second or subsequent session.

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