GPs become safety net as teenagers wait months for mental health care

Australian GPs are providing more support as teenagers face waits of nearly two months for psychologists and about four months for psychiatrists, with researchers warning that delays can deepen distress and drive young people away from care.

Long waits for adolescent mental health care are leaving Australian families, general practitioners and young patients under strain, according to new research from Flinders University and the Black Dog Institute.

A survey of 190 GPs across Australia found that the average reported wait for a psychologist was close to two months, while the typical wait for a psychiatrist was about four months. The findings, published in the Australian Journal of Primary Health, suggest many teenagers are being left in limbo after referral, with doctors describing delays of weeks rather than months as more realistic and more acceptable for young people in distress.

The study adds to earlier Flinders research showing that the problem is not only one of access, but also of what happens during the gap between referral and treatment. Another study from the university found that most adolescents seeking help for anxiety or depression faced mean waits of about 100 days for psychologists and more than 127 days for psychiatrists, and many said the delay was too long. That research also found a link between longer waits and greater psychological distress, with some teenagers reporting that their mental health worsened while they waited.

The latest GP survey found that more than 90% of respondents believed long delays increased the risk that young people would disengage from care, feel abandoned by the system or be less likely to seek help again in future. About 80% said they had seen more adolescents presenting with depression or anxiety over the previous year, and more than four in five reported increasing the amount of care they provided while patients waited for specialist appointments.

Researchers say that places GPs in a difficult position, effectively making them a safety net for a stretched specialist system. The study found that many doctors rated their knowledge of the best strategies for supporting adolescents during the waiting period as only basic or adequate, despite frequently managing risk, advising families and trying to keep young patients engaged in care. The authors argued that better training, clearer information about wait times and targeted digital support could help improve primary care while teenagers wait.

The research also sits within a wider Flinders-led effort to design a new model of support known as “While We Wait”. The project aims to identify what young people need psychologically during the waiting period, how families can be helped, and what role GPs and other frontline providers should play. Researchers involved in that work say the wait itself should be treated as an opportunity for early support, not simply as an unavoidable delay before treatment begins.