A Border university lecturer is calling for more action to help improve rural access to mental health care.
La Trobe University psychology associate professor Leah Brennan was speaking after the introduction of new Medicare benefits available to those suffering an eating disorder such as anorexia.
The new items, which are available to psychologists, GPs and other mental health practitioners, will allow patients who meet the eating disorder criteria to access up to 40 psychological services and up to 20 dietitian sessions in a 12-month period.
This is a change from the current 10 sessions available through a mental health treatment plan.
But the criteria is so specific, rural and regional patients will "struggle" accessing the sessions, according to Dr Brennan.
"You do have to have a multi-disciplinary team of clinicians working together to access the full 40 sessions," she said.
"It was probably put in as a bit of a gate-keeping step to manage demand, but it will hold people back from accessing in the country."
Dr Brennan said although GPs in rural areas, which include her home town of Yarrawonga, can access telehealth psychology, patients often feel they are "getting second rate care".
"We need more mental health clinicians to set up in rural and regional towns," she said.
"When they first brought telehealth in I was living in the city and thought it was fantastic, but now living back in the country I know people feel like they are getting second best and they aren't getting that face-to-face care people are in the city."
Dr Brennan said the new Medicare items, which came into effect on November 1, are a "step in the right direction".
"But hopefully there can be more sessions added to a wider range of psychology services for a wide range of people," she said.
"Most people can only access the 10 sessions whether that is due to geographical access to services or that they simply can't afford to pay for any more after that.
"And unfortunately there aren't a lot of community health services which provide those sessions without a gap payment which is something I am passionate about."
