Hospital mental health services

This page has information about specialist clinical mental health services in the Top End, including Darwin, Palmerston, Katherine and East Arnhem regions.

Crisis assessment

The NT Mental Health Access team are your first point of contact if you need mental health treatment.

Your doctor or other medical specialist will refer you. A clinician will assess the urgency of your referral and find a service to help you.

Support for new mothers

Pregnant women and those up to 12 months post-partum, who are  experiencing or are at risk of developing moderate to severe mental health problems, can access the Perinatal Mental Health team.

The team provides:

• specialist assessment
• treatment planning.

They can help you reduce your risk of developing a mental health problem during the perinatal period, by providing:

• education for you and your family
• information on how to look after your mental health
• help adjusting to changes you may experience when becoming a mother
• help to understand risks and benefits of taking mental health medications during pregnancy and breastfeeding
• links with other services and support in your community
• support to make a plan for you and your family that meets your needs.

Support for children and young people

The child and adolescent team provides specialist mental health services for young people up to the age of 18 years with moderate to severe mental health problems.

They can help with:

• assessment
• individual and family therapies
• group programs
• mental health medication (when needed)
• advice and support to other services.

Support for adults

If you are over 16 and live in the Darwin area, you may be referred to the service through the on-call team, inpatient services or youth services.

The adults team may refer you to any of the following:

• alcohol and other drugs services
• TEAMHealth - if you need rehabilitation and recovery and or/supported accommodation
• GPs
• private psychiatrists and psychologists where appropriate and if you can pay for it.

Remote residents in the Darwin area

The Darwin remote team consult with local primary health providers to assess and treat remote community residents when they need mental health treatment.

East Arnhem residents

The East Arnhem remote team consult with local primary health providers to assess and treat remote community residents when they need mental health treatment.

Katherine residents

The Katherine team consult with local primary health providers to assess and treat residents in the Katherine region when they need mental health treatment.

Contact