Australians with depression and anxiety are visiting their GPs in droves – but more than 40 per cent of those given a mental health plan do not use it, new data reveals. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report on Medicare services shows that while 2.1 million Australians got a mental health plan from their GP in 2017-18, only 1.2 million or 57 per cent actually went to a psychologist or counsellor. 2.1 million Australians got a mental health plan from their GP in 2017-18, but only 57 per cent actually went to a psychologist or counsellor.Credit:Shutterstock It means 900,000 people did not use their mental health plan to pursue treatment beyond their GP. Data released by the institute earlier this year showed that 4.2 million people received mental health-related drug prescriptions – such as anti-depressants, anti-psychotics and anxiety medications – over the same period. GPs say mental […]