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Mental health
Mood, anxiety, stress, behavioural health, the mind–body link.
50 posts in this body system.
Full-text search across every page — patient-education library, /pulse news commentary, and site pages. Try statin, TGA peptides, insomnia.
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Stress-related fatigue and burnout
Rhodiola rosea: evidence evaluation for Australian general practice
What the trial evidence shows for rhodiola in stress-related fatigue, mild depression, and cognition — safety profile, TGA regulation, and clinical placement.
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Anxiety — physiological sigh protocol
Physiological sigh: the breath technique for acute anxiety and daily mood
Cyclic sighing — double nasal inhale plus extended exhale — acutely reduces anxiety and improves mood when practised 5 minutes daily. AU general practice guide.
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Temperature-extreme emergencies
Heat illness, hypothermia and frostbite: the AU general practice approach
Heatstroke recognition and cooling, hypothermia Swiss staging, frostbite rewarming — Australian GP framework for temperature-extreme emergencies.
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Anxiety and mood disorders — behavioural adjunct
Meditation for mental health: a dosing guide for general practice
MBSR, MBCT, and app-based mindfulness as adjuncts for anxiety, depression, and stress in Australian general practice — evidence, dosing, and prescribing.
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HRV biofeedback — anxiety, hypertension, PTSD self-regulation
HRV biofeedback training: the GP prescribing guide
How HRV biofeedback works, who benefits, how to prescribe it, and where it fits alongside medication for anxiety, hypertension, and PTSD.
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Mental health self-management — structured journaling protocols
Structured journaling for mental health: what the evidence shows
Expressive writing, gratitude journaling, morning pages, and CBT thought records — evidence, dose, safety, and when to use each in Australian general practice.
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Factitious disorder
Factitious disorder: recognition and AU general practice management
Factitious disorder — recognition, mandatory FDIA reporting, and non-confrontational GP management in Australian practice.
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Athlete and sport mental health
Sport and athlete mental health: the AU general practice approach
Why athletes aren't immune to mental health conditions — SMHAT-1 screening, AU treatment pathways, WADA-safe prescribing, and Sport Integrity Australia TUE.
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Anxiety and stress — structured breathing protocols
Box breathing, 4-7-8 and 6-BPM resonant breathing — the GP guide
Three evidence-based slow-breathing protocols for anxiety, hypertension, insomnia and stress — how each works, when to prescribe them, and AU access.
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Athletes' mental health
Athletes' mental health: the AU general practice framework
Mental health in elite and recreational athletes — SMHAT-1 screening, REDs work-up, WADA-aware prescribing, MBS pathways and the AIS referral network.
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Body dysmorphic disorder
Body dysmorphic disorder: GP guide to diagnosis, treatment, and BDDQ screening
Body dysmorphic disorder — recognition in general practice, CBT-BDD + high-dose SSRI treatment, and the AHPRA-required cosmetic-procedure screen.
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Trichotillomania and body-focused repetitive behaviours
Trichotillomania and skin-picking: GP guide to recognition and habit reversal
Trichotillomania and excoriation disorder — recognising BFRBs in general practice, habit reversal training first-line, and when pharmacotherapy helps.
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Dissociative disorders (DID, DPDR, dissociative amnesia)
Dissociative disorders: AU GP guide to recognition and referral
Recognising DID, DPDR, and dissociative amnesia in general practice — screening, organic exclusion, and AU referral pathways.
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Hoarding disorder
Hoarding disorder: CBT-Hoarding first-line — the AU GP guide
Hoarding disorder — why CBT-Hoarding is first-line, why forced clearing backfires, safety red flags, and comorbidities to screen for.
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Behavioural addictions
Gambling, gaming, and behavioural addictions — the AU general-practice approach
How Australian GPs identify and manage gambling disorder, gaming disorder, and compulsive sexual behaviour — CBT, naltrexone, and BetStop.
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Hazardous alcohol use
Alcohol abstinence trial: the AU general practice approach to a structured reset
How a GP-supervised alcohol abstinence trial works — who it is for, preparation steps, three-variant dosing, and the AU evidence base for hazardous drinkers.
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Functional neurological disorder (FND / conversion disorder)
Functional neurological disorder: GP diagnosis and management
FND — positive signs, delivering the diagnosis, physiotherapy, CBT for PNES, what to avoid, and AU general practice pathways.
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Lithium monitoring
Lithium monitoring: GP guide to safe prescribing and shared care
How to monitor lithium safely in general practice: trough timing, monitoring schedule, toxicity recognition, drug interactions, and long-term complications.
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Obsessive-compulsive disorder and related disorders
OCD and body-focused repetitive disorders — the AU GP approach
OCD recognition, CBT-ERP first-line, high-dose SSRIs, body dysmorphic disorder, trichotillomania, skin picking, and AU referral pathways in general practice.
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Gender dysphoria
Gender dysphoria: GP role in affirmative care and Australian pathways
Gender dysphoria: Australian GP role in affirming care, hormone prescribing, adolescent referral pathways, and AusPATH 2022 / WPATH SOC8 guidance.
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Opioid, sedative and tobacco use disorders
Opioid, sedative and tobacco use disorders: the AU general practice approach
Opioid agonist treatment, benzodiazepine tapering, nicotine pharmacotherapy and naloxone — managing substance use disorders in Australian general practice.
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Carer burden
Carer burden: recognising burnout and finding support in Australia
Carer burnout affects 1 in 10 Australians. This guide covers warning signs, AU support services, financial entitlements, and when to talk to your GP.
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Late-life depression
Late-life depression: recognising atypical presentations in older adults
Depression in older Australians — why it presents differently, how to screen, which antidepressants are safe, and when ECT is the right choice.
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Personality disorders
Personality disorders: recognition and shared care in AU general practice
Personality disorders — BPD recognition, psychotherapy, GP shared care, safety planning, and avoiding iatrogenic harm in Australian general practice.
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Somatic symptom and functional disorders
Somatic and functional disorders: the AU general practice approach
Somatic symptom disorder, functional neurological disorder, and functional somatic syndromes — positive diagnosis, communication, and avoiding iatrogenic harm.
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First-episode psychosis
Psychosis recognition and early intervention: the AU general practice approach
First-episode psychosis in Australia — how GPs recognise it early, what the workup includes, and how to connect people to early intervention services.
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Prolonged grief disorder
Grief and bereavement: normal grief, prolonged grief disorder, and AU GP care
How Australian GPs support bereaved patients, recognise prolonged grief disorder, and apply Complicated Grief Therapy and appropriate medication.
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Adolescent major depressive disorder
Adolescent depression: AU general practice assessment and treatment
Depression in young Australians aged 12–25 — how to assess it, what treatments work, when medication is appropriate, and the GP's role in safety planning.
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ADHD in females
ADHD in girls and women: recognition and management in AU general practice
ADHD in females — why diagnosis is delayed, hormonal modulation, the AADPA 2022 pathway, Schedule 8 stimulants, and comorbidities.
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Adjustment disorder / Acute stress disorder
Adjustment disorder and acute stress: the Australian general practice approach
Adjustment disorder and acute stress disorder in Australian GP — diagnosis, psychological first-line approaches, safety-netting, and when to refer.
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Hazardous alcohol use
Alcohol brief intervention: AUDIT-C screening in Australian general practice
How Australian GPs screen for hazardous drinking and deliver a brief intervention — among the highest-yield preventive activities in general practice.
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Burnout and workplace mental health
Burnout and workplace mental health: the Australian GP approach
Burnout — exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced efficacy from chronic workplace stress — and how Australian GPs assess, certify, refer, and support recovery.
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Suicidal ideation and behaviour
Suicidal ideation and safety planning in Australian general practice
Structured assessment, Safety Planning Intervention, means restriction, and AU management pathways for suicidality in general practice.
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Eating disorders (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder)
Eating disorders: anorexia, bulimia, BED — AU general practice guide
Eating disorders in Australian general practice — types, SCOFF screen, MBS Eating Disorder Plan, evidence-based therapies, medications, and when to escalate.
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Postnatal depression
Postnatal depression: AU general practice assessment and management
Postnatal depression affects 10–16% of Australian mothers. How to screen, diagnose, and manage safely — including SSRI choice in breastfeeding and red flags.
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Generalised anxiety disorder and panic disorder
Generalised anxiety and panic disorder: AU general practice approach
How Australian GPs assess and manage GAD and panic disorder — CBT pathways, SSRI selection, avoiding benzodiazepine dependence, and when to escalate.
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Major depressive disorder
Major depressive disorder: diagnosis and treatment in AU general practice
How Australian GPs diagnose and manage MDD — PHQ-9, stepped care, antidepressant selection, and the safety flags that change management.
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Premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder
PMS and PMDD: premenstrual syndrome in AU general practice
Premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder — prospective symptom diary, SSRI and drospirenone COC options, and how to manage in general practice.
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Perinatal mental health
Perinatal mental health: EPDS screening, sertraline, and postpartum psychosis
Perinatal depression, anxiety, and postpartum psychosis — EPDS screening, sertraline in pregnancy and breastfeeding, PANDA referral, and MBS pathways.
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Alcohol use disorder
Alcohol use disorder: the AU general practice approach
Alcohol use disorder — diagnosis, PBS-subsidised pharmacotherapy, withdrawal management, and the AU care pathway in general practice.
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Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder: recognition, lithium monitoring, and GP shared care
Bipolar disorder — MDQ screening, lithium as first-line maintenance, valproate restrictions, monitoring protocols, and GP shared care in Australia.
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Adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Adult ADHD: diagnosis and management in Australian general practice
Adult ADHD affects ~3–5% of Australians. How diagnosis, stimulant therapy, and GP shared care work — based on the AADPA 2022 guideline.
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Post-traumatic stress disorder
PTSD: trauma-focused therapy first — the AU general practice approach
PTSD in Australia — trauma-focused therapy (CPT, PE, EMDR) is first-line. SSRIs as adjunct. GP entry via Mental Health Care Plan + Better Access.
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Anxiety disorders
Anxiety disorders: CBT first, SSRIs when severity warrants — the AU GP pathway
Anxiety disorders — GAD, panic and phobic types, GAD-7 thresholds, CBT access, SSRIs, AU Mental Health Treatment Plan pathway, lifestyle inputs, escalation.
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Major depressive disorder
Depression: psychotherapy, medication, and what your bloods can't tell you
Major depressive disorder — PHQ-9 thresholds, first-line psychotherapy, SSRIs, Mental Health Treatment Plan access, lifestyle evidence, caveats.
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Mind-body interventions
Mind-body in chronic disease: placebo, expectation, and the contested zone
Mind-body interventions in chronic disease — placebo evidence, expectation effects, psychosomatic research, and where AU general practice sits.
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Adverse childhood experiences and adult health
Childhood adversity and adult chronic disease: the ACE evidence and AU response
What the ACE study showed about childhood adversity and adult chronic disease, what's contested, and how AU general practice addresses it.
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Chronic stress
Stress management: what the AU trial evidence actually supports
Non-pharmacological stress management — what the AU trial evidence supports, what doesn't, and how it fits into general practice chronic-disease prevention.
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Meditation and mindfulness interventions
Meditation: what Cochrane and the major trials actually show
Meditation evidence — what Cochrane and the major trials show for blood pressure, anxiety, depression, and chronic pain, and how AU general practice uses it.
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Depression and anxiety — dietary management
Diet and mental health: what the SMILES trial and follow-ups actually showed
Diet and mental health — what the SMILES trial showed, the Mediterranean pattern, and how AU general practice integrates diet into depression care.