Young Australians turning to AI for mental health help 

14 April 2026  

Peak body for all psychologists, the Australian Association of Psychologists, says the data on mental health in the 2026 NSW Youth Week Poll shows that mental health services are not affordable for those who need it. 

The survey found that only 12% of young people with a mental health condition said mental health services were affordable, compared to the average of 65% of young people overall.  

AAPi Executive Director Tegan Carrison said the disparity pointed to a critical access gap. 

"It's evident that young people - and often as a consequence, their parents - are unable to afford the care they need because rebates are too low.

"Medicare rebates for clients of psychologists have kept pace with the cost of living over the past decade. We need to see a standard rebate of $150 across the board for every psychology appointment to keep it affordable and accessible."

Ms Carrison said while walk-in mental health centres played an important role in early intervention, they were not a substitute for ongoing, evidence based care provided by a local psychologist. 

ENDS 

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About AAPi 

AAPi is a not-for-profit peak body for psychologists that aims to preserve the rich diversity of psychological practice in Australia. Formed in 2010 by a group of passionate grassroots psychologists, AAPi’s primary goal is to address inequality in the profession and represent all psychologists and their clients equally to government and funding bodies. Its primary mission is to lobby for equitable access for the Australian public to professional psychological services such as Medicare Better Access Scheme and the National Disability Insurance Scheme.