GPs who have to make tough calls on whether patients’ mental health disorders are work related may benefit from world-first guidelines developed by Australian researchers.

The new guidelines, endorsed by the RACGP and ACRRM, outline evidence-based recommendations to assist GPs in managing patients making claims for work-related depression, anxiety, PTSD and substance misuse.

Lead author Professor Danielle Mazza, a GP academic from Monash University, says despite being well equipped to deal with workplace physical injury claims, GPs have a dearth of guidelines to assist them in dealing with mental health claims.

“GPs were calling for guidance in this area,” Professor Mazza says.