How to see a psychiatrist in Australia?

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Okay, so if I wanted to see a psychiatrist (And I do, obviously) I need a referral from my GP.

If I got one, what do I do from there? Would I just call up, make an appointment? Afterwards, how would I pay? Is there some insurance thing (I'm seventeen, would prefer to do this mostly by myself) I need, or can I pay in cash or what?

I just don't know how I would go through the motions, and what they entail.

Thanks.

Hi,
Because you are 17 the first thing that I would do is have a look at the headspace.org.au website. They have centres all over Australia where you can see a psychologist, psychiatrist, etc and it would likely be free.

At this website https://www.eheadspace.org.au they have a service where you can either call or email your questions and also get an appointment for one of their centres.

Otherwise, the best thing that you can do is to go to your GP and ask to be referred to a psychiatrist. Hopefully they will know of one that they recommend. Seeing a psychiatrist can be very expensive, so you can ask your GP to send you to one that bulk bills (where you pay nothing because Medicare pays for you, though you would need a Medicare card I believe).

I want to help more, but need to know a couple of things- what area do you live? Every area in Australia has a service run by the government where you are able to access mental health services for free through community centres.

And what is the reason that you want to see a psychiatrist? I'm just trying to work out the best services to recommend you. For example, unless you want medication you may be better to be seeing a psychologist than a psychiatrist.

... I just saw your other posts in this forum. It seems like you need to be hooked up with a good mental health team (psychologist and psychiatrist), that will listen to your concerns. Even if it does come down to that you are somehow fabricating the symptoms or it is part of your ASD, you clearly need help either way. Especially the feelings about not being able to trust your own mind, they should be looked into.

Please get in touch here or follow the steps in my previous post. You deserve to be listened to and helped and I praise you for taking these first steps.