Ten to Men: The Australian Longitudinal Study on Male Health (TTM) is a nationwide longitudinal study on the health and wellbeing of Australian boys and men. TTM was established by the Australian Government’s National Male Health Policy (2010) and currently serves the National men’s health strategy 2020–2030.

The Better Access to Psychiatrists, Psychologists and General Practitioners through the Medicare Benefits Schedule initiative (Better Access) provides Medicare rebates to eligible people (those with a diagnosed mental disorder) so that they can access the formal mental health support services they need.

Key findings

• The target trial emulation using Ten to Men data showed no detectable effect of a higher number of Better Access treatment sessions from 2013–22 on improvements in depression symptoms in men.
• Results were similar for men in priority populations (including men living in rural and remote areas and men from CALD backgrounds) and also applied to anxiety symptoms.
• A higher number of Better Access treatment sessions during the COVID-19 period (2020–22) also did not appear to lead to improvements in depression symptoms during this period.

A key message for policymakers is that increasing the provision of mental health treatment alone may not be sufficient to reduce rates of mental ill-health among Australian men. Other factors (including treatment quality and out-of-pocket costs) require consideration to reduce the population level of mental ill-health.