Mental health · decision prep
Most people arrive thinking the choice is "tablets or nothing." It isn't. In Australia there's a ladder of options — and talking therapy, including free online CBT, is genuinely a starting point. Tell me where you're at and I'll lay out your options and the four questions to ask your GP.
Just to check — is this something happening right now, or something you want to raise with your GP?
The thing most people don't realise:
“Anxiety treatment isn't 'tablets or nothing' — it's a menu, and talking therapy is genuinely the starting point.”
In Australia, the guidelines recommend a stepped-care approach: for mild anxiety, guided self-help and online CBT come first; psychological therapy (CBT) and medication are both first-line options for moderate-to-severe anxiety, often reviewed after about 4 to 6 weeks (RANZCP 2018 anxiety guidelines; Beyond Blue). Which rung is right depends on how severe things are and what you'd actually stick with.
A good GP is glad when you come in understanding the menu — it makes the conversation yours, not just theirs.
Your options, as a ladder
Structured self-help, exercise, sleep and lifestyle changes, and free or low-cost Australian online CBT programs — first-line for milder anxiety, and a foundation under everything else.
RANZCP 2018 · Beyond Blue — treatments for anxietyTalking therapy — most often cognitive behavioural therapy — delivered face-to-face or as guided digital CBT. A first-line treatment for anxiety with strong evidence; usually reviewed after about 4 to 6 sessions. In Australia a GP Mental Health Treatment Plan can give Medicare-subsidised sessions — ask how many you'd be eligible for.
RANZCP 2018 · NPS MedicineWise · Services Australia — Medicare mental healthAn antidepressant (commonly an SSRI) is a first-line option for moderate-to-severe anxiety, on its own or alongside therapy. It usually takes about 2 weeks to begin helping and 4 to 6 weeks for fuller effect. The specific medicine is a decision for you and your GP.
RANZCP 2018 · Australian Prescriber — drug treatment for anxiety · Beyond BlueFor moderate-to-severe anxiety, therapy and medication together is a recognised option — not a sign anything's gone wrong.
RANZCP 2018The four questions to ask your GP
Benefits — what actually works for someone like me
“For how severe my anxiety is, which of these options has the best evidence — and what's the realistic chance it helps me, not just 'it might'?”
Risks — the downsides of each, and how common
“What are the common downsides of each option — including time, cost, and side effects — and which ones mean I should call you?”
Alternatives — what else, and in what order
“If we start with one option, what would we try next if it doesn't help enough — and could I do therapy and medication together?”
Nothing / wait — and the review plan
“What happens if I start with the lowest-key option (self-help or online CBT) and see — and whatever we pick, when would we review whether it's working?”
All of these are genuine, guideline-backed options in Australia. Three honest things to hold alongside that:
These questions aren't a challenge to your doctor — they're the ones doctors ask for their own family. Asking them out loud just gets you the conversation faster.
Your treatment menu laid out as a ladder, the four questions with room to write the answers, the key reframe boxed at the top — ready to put on the desk.
Your answers stay on your device. If you email the card, only the card is sent — not anything you typed in the note box.
Leaning toward medication and want to weigh it properly? The "should I start an antidepressant" questions → walk through that one decision in depth.
Not sure how bad things actually are? The mood & anxiety check-in → gives you a score and an opening line to bring in.