More ACT residents suffered anxiety or depression during COVID-19 than in lockdown-ravaged Victoria, but a huge number are not reaching for help they need, a new report suggests.
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Australia's mental health system is bucking under the pressure of the pandemic, particularly in regional areas, as a crisis dubbed the 'shadow pandemic' blows out wait times for appointments.
Australian Counselling Association chief executive Philip Armstrong is urging the federal government "to wake up" by tapping into thousands of counsellors ready to ease the strain "tomorrow".
A report from the association found more ACT residents (72 per cent) had experienced anxiety or depression during the pandemic than Victorians (71 per cent), above the national average of 68 per cent.
It also found more than a third of ACT residents did not seek help for their mental distress, with 19 per cent saying it was simply unaffordable.
Mr Armstrong said there were more than 4000 fully-qualified counsellors, who had more than half a decade training and experience, ready to join the fray "tomorrow".
He has called for counsellors to be added to the Medicare Benefits Schedule in a bid to ease strain on the system.
"The government needs to wake up. I'm talking about not just the current government, but if Labor comes in, they need to pull their pants up too," he said.
"As a country, we can't keep going down this path. It will have significant impact on the future of this country ... and it needs to be resolved."
The report found 41 per cent of ACT residents needing support would opt for a qualified counsellor if it was less expensive than seeing a psychologist. And nearly half (47 per cent) would prefer a counsellor if it meant avoiding long waiting times to see a psychologist.
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Mr Armstrong said three quarters of private practice psychologists operated in inner Sydney, Brisbane or Melbourne, which were typically higher earning.
"You've got the financial issue, then there's the fact that there are no practitioners in your local area. That becomes an issue and if you're in regional or rural Australia. It's just a double-whammy," he said,
Mr Armstrong's intervention came after calls to allow provisional psychologists to be added to the response.
But the vast majority of counsellors in regional Australia were locals and had a more intuitive knowledge of issues impacting their patients, he said.
The crisis has been exacerbated by an exodus of trainee psychiatrists, who told The Canberra Times in December Australia's accreditation system had been marred by technical glitches, exam delays, and tests deemed irrelevant to the "real life" skills required.
That had worsened the situation in regional Australia, where a predicted shortfall of 450 psychiatrists by 2025 was expected to be keenly felt.