Australia now has its first free online and telephone mental health clinic, MindSpot.
It provides confidential assistance to people nationally via the Internet, phone or e-mail. It also includes an online Anxiety Quiz, Depression Quiz and screening assessment.
MindSpot has been developed by a team of national and international experts led by researchers from Macquarie University and is fully funded by the Federal Government as part of the Government’s mental health reform package to improve access and expand mental health services in remote areas across Australia.
“MindSpot allows people from all over Australia to access quality mental health care. It provides a powerful complement to traditional face-to-face services,” says MindSpot Project Director, Associate Professor Nick Titov.
"Many Australians with worry, stress, anxiety, low mood and depression have difficulty getting assessment or treatment. We established the MindSpot Clinic to help.
“Our online services complement face-to-face mental health support and the existing automated online teleweb programs, which are available through the online mental health portal, mindhealthconnect,” says A/Professor Titov.
He said that the courses of treatment available were developed and tested at the university's Centre for Emotional Health in clinical trials with people from all over Australia.
Minister for Mental Health, Mark Butler, and Parliamentary Secretary for Mental Health, Melissa Parke, hailed MindSpot as a great innovation that will make a difference to the lives of around 38,000 people over the next three years.
“MindSpot won’t just be a one-size-fits-all service; it will carefully assess each client so they receive the right care for their needs,” said Ms Parke.
Mr Butler said many Australians with mental illness have difficulty accessing the treatment they need due to social or geographical isolation and the stigma associated with mental illness.
“MindSpot will help many Australians take their first steps toward improving their mental health,” Mr Butler said.
The Australian Government has invested $16.4 million over three years in MindSpot.
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Check out MindSpot here or call them on 1800 61 44 34.
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