Drew Dowsley, 30 years, in September 2024 went to hospitals seeking help whilst suffering from mental health psychosis.  In a final plea for help, desperate in psychosis and suicidal he went to Gosford Hospital desperately needing help.

The hospital turned him away and he then went straight to the train track and went in front of a train.

Drew was unconscious on the train track for many hours until he was found and then airlifted to Royal North Shore Hospital where he was in intensive care for many weeks undertaking treatment and many surgeries. 

Miraculously he survived but has massive injuries including losing a hand, partial loss of his other hand, brain damage, multiple fractures and other serious injuries.  Drew's life is destroyed.  He will never be the same again.

Drew and his mother, Helen Dowsley, have set up a mental health foundation Drew's Law https://drewslaw.com.au/ with the long term objective that anyone seeking help for mental health at a hospital or any medical facility is never turned away as Drew was.

We are also raising funds to implement a number of programs including free mental telehealth; installing more mental health nurses at hospitals and more - at https://chuffed.org/project/123251-drews-law

This didn't just happen to Drew, it happens to thousands of Australians every year.  If Drew plus thousands of others were able to secure help for their mental health their lives would be very different now.

Please support this petition and also support Drew's Law. 

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The cost of seeing a psychologist or a psychiatrist in Australia is unaffordable for most people.  Yet Australia is in the midst of a mental health crisis and people desperately need help!

But they can not access this essential help because they can not afford it. 

As Australia experiences a cost of living crisis which is impacting Australians mental health driving a surge in mental health problems it is even more unaffordable for the average person to see a psychologist or psychiatrist than ever. 

One in two Australians say the rising cost of living is having a major impact on their mental health, and one in five say cost is a barrier to accessing mental health support, according to an IPSOS survey for Mental Health Australia.

Mental health is now the top reason Australians are presenting at hospitals but many are being turned away and not getting the help they desperately need.

We are calling on the Australian Federal Government to make psychologists and psychiatrists bulk billed. 

An estimated (2020 to 2022) 8,514,700 Australians aged 16 to 85 (43%) have experienced a mental illness in their lives (Australian Institute Health & Wellness).

• One in five Australians aged 16–85 (22%, or 4.3 million) experienced a mental disorder.
• 17% of Australians experienced an Anxiety disorder
  8% experienced an Affective disorder and 3% a Substance use disorder.
• 1 in 7 children and adolescents aged 4–17 years experienced a mental illness.

According to the 2020–2022 National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing (NSMHW) of Australians aged 16–85, an estimated:

• 8.5 million had experienced a mental illness at some time in their life (43% of the population).
• 4.3 million had experienced a mental illness in the previous 12 months (22% of the population).
• The most common mental illnesses in Australia, in the 12 months prior to the study, were:
• Anxiety disorders (3.4 million people, or 17% of the population)
• Affective disorders (1.5 million, or 8%)
• Substance Use disorders (650,000, or 3%) (ABS 2023a).

Cost of Psychologist in Australia

The average price of a psychologist according to the Australian Psychological Society is $311 - "The APS National Schedule of Suggested Fees 2024-2025 has the standard 46 to 60-minute consultation fee at $311. This is a suggestion only. The fee at which a service is set is at the discretion of the individual psychologist" /psychology/about-psychology/what-it-costs

As of 2024, if you have an eligible Mental Health Plan, the government will provide you with a rebate or pay part of the costs for accessing psychological services:

If you see a Registered Psychologist, you will get back $96.65
If you see a Clinical Psychologist, you will get back $141.85

Even with the medicare refund the cost of seeing a psychologist in Australia is unaffordable for most.

Australians can receive 10 sessions with a psychologist per annum with a mental health plan from their GP. 

Cost of Psychiatrist in Australia

The cost of seeing a psychiatrist ranges from $380 to $650 and higher depending on the session time and other factors.  

The medicare rebate is from $173.60 to $427.50 leaving a gap of between $173.50 to $222.75 https://www.yourhealthinmind.org/seeing-a-psychiatrist/cost-to-see-a-psychiatrist

We call on all Australians to support this cause. Australians should be able to get medical assistance for mental health issues. If people are mentally well then they are able to contribute to society.

Drew's Law - https://drewslaw.com.au/

 

 

 

 

 

 

Major feature in Sun Herald, THe Age, West Australian and Brisbane Times