The 'Rise and Rise' of New Professional Groups: Mental Health Professions under Medicare

Abstract

From November 2006, three paramedical professions that provide mental health services-eligible or approved psychologists, social workers and occupational therapists-came within the scope of Medicare. The purpose of this article is to place that historic decision in context, first by examining several key secular trends in psychiatry as a profession, and then by presenting some data on the professional groups newly subsidised under Medicare. The trends in psychiatry give the context of that decision and point to the structural forces that are likely to be associated with the provision of mental health services in Australia.