What Should I Expect for Psychiatry Expenses?

• 

  chcse on 29/04/2022 - 17:11

  +2

  My "friend" is currently seeing one, they don't have private health insurance. Medicare provides partial rebate, so they're out of pocket $150-$250 each session. Of course this depends on your psychiatrist, what they charge, how long the session is, and how often you seen them.

  • 

    MatrixM on 29/04/2022 - 17:12

    $200/session..I mean it's worth it i'm sure but it's daunting. Thanks.

    • 

      No on 29/04/2022 - 17:38

      Hey,

      You can try and get in with the government clinic which will be free however if its anything like my local they will be way overstretched and don't have appointments available.

      I don't think private health insurance will cover a psychiatrist unless its part of an inpatient stay.

• 

  dust on 29/04/2022 - 17:32

  +4

  Do you want therapy or medication? A clinical psychologist might be cheaper if you just want therapy but if you want medication then psychiatrist is the only way unfortunately.

  • 

    kawinuyo on 29/04/2022 - 17:43

    +1

    Psychologists can also work with your gp for the more common antidepressantsb

  • 

    Muzeeb on 29/04/2022 - 17:46

    Even a well regarded mental health social worker can be of benefit long term. They would average about $150 per session.

    So I'm going in soon to get a referral for a psychiatrist for major depressive disorder

    There may be a long wait. They are in high demand and there aren't a lot of good ones around.

  • 

    MatrixM on 29/04/2022 - 19:25

    Well, best results are from combining the two, but at least meds.

• 

  Stingo on 29/04/2022 - 17:47

  +3

  Make sure you point out your limited financial circumstances to your GP. Hopefully your GP will be able to refer you to someone more affordable or obtain a lower rate for you with the specialist.

• 

  CrowReally on 29/04/2022 - 17:56

  +1

  Have a read of this, it covers the important stuff: https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/mental-health-treatment-plan

  Above and beyond that, be open with your health care professional about your ability to pay, some will offer either reduced fees or payment plans to address that specific aspect.

  • 

    MatrixM on 29/04/2022 - 19:33

    Ah, I remember hearing about this a couple years ago, thanks. That must be why I was told my booking would need to be double length.
    That's actually a very reassuring plan, flexible with psychiatrists and psychologists.

• 

  thatonethere on 29/04/2022 - 18:03

  +2

  To get the government rebates unfortunately it is a bit of a ponzi scheme where you have to spend money to get money back.

  1. you will go to a GP to get a referral (this is a formal thing) you will need to ask for a mental health care plan and say you want to gain access to the medicare rebates (as they have to register that with medicare)
  2. they you take your referral off to psychologists/psychiatrists and wait for a while as usually books are full
  3. for each session it's usually $200-250 - you can get about $80-$120 back?
  4. private health insurance isn't worth it - you'll get about $45 a session on extras
  5. after 10 visits the medicare rebate runs out so you have to back to the GP (more money) and ask them to give you another 10 which they can due to covid. The extra 10 may run out at some point as it is 'temporary'. They may refer you to group therapy rather than individual therapy too.
  • 

    MatrixM on 29/04/2022 - 19:39

    hmn, thankfully I feel like I can handle the wait, I'm less stressed than I was last couple months, but I did forget that with the entire country in this situation bookings could take a long time.
    Thanks for the info. I guess i'm looking at $100-$150/session after the hoops. That sounds reasonable, especially if it refreshes with the financial year.
    so $45/session..hmn just did another search and I found this from choice.com so looks like the second session onwards is usually covered less than the first.

    • 

      thatonethere on 29/04/2022 - 20:36

      +1

      If you are going to a psychiatrist the first appointment is usually quite expensive. Maybe $700? It is pretty detailed. They are quite up front on fees but also very upfront that you will be paying it there and then in the office (no 30 day accts).

      So you will need a buffer on the credit card or bank account for that if you are looking at a medicated recovery.

• 

  bobbified on 29/04/2022 - 18:46

  +2

  I don't have any useful information for you, but I do hope that things work out well for you real soon!

• 

  mbck on 29/04/2022 - 19:56

  Good on you for looking after yourself mate. All the best.

• 

  bobkin on 29/04/2022 - 23:28

  +3

  The referral pathways for psychologists and psychiatrists are different. Mental health care plans give access to psychologists, occupational therapists and social workers, but cannot be used for psychiatrists. Speaking with your GP is usually a good first step to discuss which is most appropriate for you.

  Broadly speaking, psychology or counselling can be accessed a few ways:
  - paying privately (usually $150-$300/session)
  - via your workplace’s employee assistance programme (usually free for you, but not offered in all jobs)
  - via private health insurance (variable rebates, often capped)
  - via a mental health care plan (as others have outlined above, sometimes bulk billing providers available, but often a long wait and may not be your first choice of psychologist).

  Psychiatrists are usually accessed via a GP referral and like when seeing other specialist doctors, you usually pay a fee up front and then receive a Medicare rebate. There is a service called a ‘291 assessment’ that your GP can refer you for, which is a one-off assessment with a psychiatrist for diagnosis and management advice. These are often bulk-billed or have low gap fees and are easier to access than general psychiatry appointments. You can also be referred to the public system, but referrals are triaged according to urgency and not everyone who is referred is offered an appointment.

  There are a number of online psychology programmes that people can do on their own time (see database here). There are also quite a few options for Telehealth psychology and psychiatry that are quicker and/or cheaper to access than face-to-face services.

• 

  Tuesdaygal on 30/04/2022 - 08:50

  +1

  Over the years I have seen a total of three psychologists via mental health plans from bulk billed clinics with no out of pocket expenses. I have found two of the psychologists to be very helpful so it's a matter of trying. You can go back to your GP to change if you think the one you are seeing isn't up to standard. Unfortunately, there is a long wait time atm. Good luck!

• 

  Jules855 on 30/04/2022 - 10:37

  +1

  To see a Psychiatrist you need a psychiatric referral from your GP (this lasts 12 months) or a specialist (this only lasts 3 months). Initial consults are typically between $550 and $700 and you'll receive $233.75 back from Medicare (item 296).

  The statement in your first post that says you can use a Mental Health Care Plan to see a Psychiatrist is incorrect. They only cover you for allied health (psychologist, social worker, mental health OT etc).

  If you require medication which you typically would for major depressive disorder seeing a clinical psychologist won't help, they can't prescribe.

  If you have a concession card you will hit your Medicare safety net once you have spent $717.90 out of pocket (this is the gap between what you pay and your rebate) in the calendar year. From this point on you'll receive the full schedule fee plus 80% of the gap back from Medicare. So if you have a 30 minute appointment with your Psychiatrist and they charge $300 the rebate will be $263.90.

  Private health does not cover any outpatient Psychiatry, it only covers when you are an inpatient at a private mental health facility. If you were to see a clinical psychologist you could use either Medicare or private health but in my experience Medicare pays more 99.99% of the time. You can't access Medicare and then use your private health to cover the gap.

  If this has been an ongoing issue and you've tried multiple medications you might want to look into TMS, Medicare started covering it last year and there is a tonne of evidence which indicates it helps with treatment resistant depression.

• 

  Tickle on 30/04/2022 - 15:39

  +1

  Have you tried any antidepressants before?

  If you have tried two, over any period of time you can be eligible for TMS which Medicare has begun subsidizing since last November, my total out of pocket is $400 for minimum of 35 sessions, minimum of three per week. Payment plans are even available for the $400 cost.

  So far I’ve had three treatments in the past week and I can already feel a change in my mood, depression and life in general. I cannot recommend it highly enough, it saves you being on meds that can be an absolute nightmare to come off, I mean weeks to months of hell.

  I have previously had Tms back in approx 2014 and was blown away after 7 sessions, it was like night and day.

  You can get a referral from a gp or psychiatrist but you need to mention or have tried two antidepressants in the past to qualify for the treatment which is usually thousands of dollars.

  Good luck ❤️

  • 

    Jules855 on 30/04/2022 - 20:31

    Your TMS provider is being a bit cheeky, if you've had TMS before you aren't entitled to a Medicare rebate (it's s dumb rule, but it's one Medicare are hanging their hat on!)

  • 

    MatrixM on 04/05/2022 - 06:28

    I was for a time while studying overseas but no records. it was a developing country. I'll keep it in mind, though, thanks.