Start with your GP
For mental-health support, book your huisarts (GP). Help in the practice has no mandatory eigen risico (deductible). Your huisarts can refer you for insured specialist treatment, where the deductible normally applies. For immediate danger, call 112. For suicidal thoughts without immediate danger, call 113 Zelfmoordpreventie (suicide prevention) (External site, opens in a new tab) or use its chat, available day and night.
This guide is for adults living in the Netherlands. The cost rules below apply to Dutch basic health insurance; children use a different route.
How do I get mental-health support?
Book a huisarts appointment and explain what has changed, how long it has lasted, and what you can no longer manage. The huisarts may help directly or involve the POH-GGZ (mental-health worker in the GP practice). Basic insurance covers this GP care without the mandatory deductible. A bedrijfsarts (company doctor) can also help with work-related problems and refer you to GGZ (geestelijke gezondheidszorg, mental healthcare). If you need a huisarts, read Finding and using a huisarts. These routes depend on the kind of help you need:
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| Situation | Usual first step | What happens next |
|---|---|---|
| Lighter or unclear complaints | Huisarts or POH-GGZ | Short support in the GP practice, or a review if you do not improve. |
| Problems mixed with debt, housing or loneliness | Huisarts | The huisarts may arrange a verkennend gesprek (exploratory conversation) with GGZ and social support. |
| Moderate problems or a suspected disorder | Huisarts or bedrijfsarts | Referral to generalistische basis-GGZ (basic mental healthcare) may follow. |
| Severe, complex or high-risk problems | Huisarts, bedrijfsarts or arts bij spoedeisende hulp (emergency doctor) | Referral to gespecialiseerde GGZ (specialist mental healthcare) or urgent assessment may follow. |
Insured GGZ normally needs a valid referral. Care that you need immediately is an exception: seek acute help before arranging paperwork. If your huisarts refuses a referral, they must explain why. Ask what help they recommend instead. A transfer within GGZ needs no new GP referral; the provider notifies your huisarts.
What does mental-health treatment cost?
For adults aged 18 or over, basic insurance covers geneeskundige GGZ (medical mental healthcare) under conditions. You can receive insured assessment and treatment for a disorder in the DSM-5 (mental-disorder classification manual) or a justified suspicion of one. The treatment must have evidence that it works. Referral and policy conditions also apply. You can ask for help with distress before a diagnosis.
The official GGZ coverage rules (External site, opens in a new tab) distinguish support in the GP practice from specialist treatment. The table shows what basic insurance can cover and which costs remain for you.
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| Care | How it is paid | What you may pay |
|---|---|---|
| Huisarts and POH-GGZ | Basic insurance as GP care | No mandatory deductible. |
| Verkennend gesprek after GP referral | Basic insurance since 2025 | No mandatory deductible. |
| Insured adult GGZ | Basic insurance if the conditions are met | The 2026 mandatory deductible is €385 for the year; a voluntary deductible can add more. |
| Prescription medicines | Basic insurance if the medicine and conditions are covered | Deductible, and sometimes a separate co-payment. In 2026, the medicine co-payment is capped at €250 per calendar year. |
| Non-contracted provider | Depends on your policy and any insurer agreement | You may owe part of the bill. Full reimbursement applies if a prior mediation request fails to produce timely care and a suitable non-contracted provider can treat you on time. The deductible still applies. |
For example, you have already paid €200 of the mandatory deductible in 2026. Insured GGZ can use the remaining €185 that year. This assumes no voluntary deductible; a non-contracted bill or medicine co-payment can add costs. Read Eigen risico: the health-insurance deductible for the full rules.
A naturapolis (in-kind insurance policy) may pay less for a provider without an insurer contract. Some clinics need insurer permission before treatment. Ask the provider what care it plans to give. Then ask the insurer: “Is this provider contracted? Is this care covered? Do I need permission? What will I pay?” Keep the written answer.
Insurance covers care that meets the conditions above. If insured GGZ is not the right route, your huisarts, POH-GGZ, gemeente (municipality), workplace or social support may still help.
What can I do about a long wait?
The GGZ Treeknormen (maximum acceptable waiting times) are four weeks from your first contact with a provider to intake and ten weeks from intake to treatment. These are norms, not promised appointment dates. Providers publish waiting times. Ask for the current wait for your problem and location.
Since January 2026, the NZa (Nederlandse Zorgautoriteit, Dutch Healthcare Authority) (External site, opens in a new tab) derives waits for single-site providers from claims data. Providers with several sites still submit monthly data. Use the provider’s current published wait when asking for mediation.
If either wait exceeds the norm, ask your insurer for mediation. While you wait, you can take these actions:
- Keep your place on the original waiting list while you look for an earlier option.
- Ask your insurer for zorgbemiddeling (care mediation), also called wachtlijstbemiddeling (waiting-list mediation). Give your referral, provider, quoted dates, travel range, language needs and any medical limits.
- Ask your huisarts or POH-GGZ for support while you wait. Contact them again if your symptoms or safety change.
- Ask other suitable providers about both the intake wait and the treatment wait. Confirm the insurer contract and any required permission before switching.
What are my rights during treatment?
Your provider must explain the proposed diagnosis, treatment, alternatives, risks and expected result in words you understand. You decide together and may refuse or stop treatment.
Compulsory care can be a legal exception when a mental disorder causes serious harm or a substantial risk of serious harm. It is a last resort: voluntary care and less intrusive effective alternatives must be unavailable. The care must be proportionate and reasonably expected to work. It must follow the legal approval or emergency procedure.
In GGZ, ask who your regiebehandelaar (coordinating clinician) is. Agree on a treatment plan, a date to review progress, and who to contact if you get worse.
Consent, privacy and access to your medical record have legal exceptions. Ask your provider how to use the right that fits your concern.
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| Right | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Consent | Treatment needs your informed consent. You may ask questions, refuse a proposal or withdraw consent. Compulsory care is a legal exception. |
| Medical record | You may inspect your record, receive a copy and ask to correct factual errors. Access may be limited to protect another person’s privacy. Deletion has legal exceptions. |
| Privacy | Providers must keep your medical information confidential. Sharing outside the directly involved care team generally needs permission, but care-related and legal exceptions exist. |
| Second opinion | Discuss it with your clinician and ask for a referral. They must cooperate unless they have serious objections, which they must explain. Check first whether your insurer requires the referral and which second-opinion provider it covers. |
What should I check about medicines?
A huisarts, psychiater (psychiatrist) or another legally authorised prescriber can prescribe medicines within their professional scope. A psycholoog (psychologist) cannot prescribe on the basis of that qualification.
Covered medicines use the deductible and may have a separate co-payment. An insurer may prefer one brand; ask your prescriber or pharmacist about medical necessity if it is unsuitable.
Discuss any change or stopping plan with your prescriber first.
How do I get an interpreter?
Tell your huisarts and provider before referral or intake if you cannot understand or explain your symptoms in Dutch or English. The provider must assess the language barrier and decide whether a professional or other suitable interpreter is needed for safe care and informed consent.
During insured GGZ treatment, the insurer covers a needed interpreter. GP practices use different funding arrangements. Before the appointment, ask who will arrange the interpreter, who pays, and whether you could be charged.
How do children and people with addictions get care?
Most mental healthcare for people under 18 is jeugdhulp (youth care) under the Jeugdwet (Youth Act), paid by your gemeente. A huisarts, jeugdarts (youth doctor) or medisch specialist (medical specialist) can refer directly to youth GGZ. Check with your gemeente whether it accepts or contracts the provider before treatment. GP and POH-GGZ care and prescribed psychiatric medicines can remain under health insurance.
Treatment consent and record access change at ages 12 and 16:
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| Age | Who consents to treatment | Who may see the record |
|---|---|---|
| Under 12 | Parents or guardians decide. | Parents or guardians may see the record. |
| Ages 12 to 15 | Your child and parent or guardian normally consent together. | Parents normally need the child’s permission. |
| From 16 | Your child decides. | Parents need the young person’s permission. |
For children aged 12 to 15, treatment can proceed without parental consent if it is clearly necessary to prevent serious harm. It can also proceed if the child continues to want the treatment after careful consideration even after the parent or guardian refuses consent. Parents may see information needed for treatment consent without the child’s permission.
If a young person cannot understand and weigh a treatment decision, a representative may need to decide for them. Ask the clinician which consent rule applies.
For alcohol, drugs, gambling or another addiction, start with your huisarts. The huisarts can refer you to verslavingszorg (addiction care). Adult treatment is generally paid through health insurance when the conditions are met. Treatment for someone under 18 usually falls under the Jeugdwet. Waiting lists and insurer mediation can also apply to adult addiction care.
What if care or payment goes wrong?
For common problems, use the route below that matches your situation. Contact your clinician again if your condition changes while you wait.
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| Problem | First action | Next route |
|---|---|---|
| Your condition worsens while you wait | Contact the huisarts or provider and explain what changed. | Use the crisis route immediately if safety becomes urgent. |
| You disagree with treatment | Discuss the treatment plan, review or second opinion with the clinician. | Ask for a referral and check second-opinion coverage. |
| Complaint about a provider | Discuss the complaint with the provider, or go directly to its complaints officer. | The independent klachtenfunctionaris (complaints officer) is free. If needed, use the provider’s recognised disputes body. |
| Complaint about reimbursement or insurer mediation | Complain to the insurer in writing. | After an unsatisfactory reply, or no reply within four weeks, contact SKGZ (health-insurance complaints and disputes service) (External site, opens in a new tab). Normally file within one year of the insurer’s reply. |
| Unexpected non-contracted bill | Ask provider and insurer for the contract, policy rule and calculation. | Refer to any written mediation agreement; use the insurer complaint route if needed. |
SKGZ allows an extra 90 days when the insurer failed to tell you properly how to contact SKGZ.
If mental-health problems affect your inburgering (civic integration), read the medical waiver and adapted exams guide for the options to check.
Who do I call in a crisis?
Call 112 when a life is in immediate danger. For other urgent mental-health help, choose the contact that fits your situation below.
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| Situation | Contact | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Immediate danger to life | 112 | Call now and follow the operator's instructions. |
| Suicidal thoughts | 113 or 113 suicide-prevention chat (External site, opens in a new tab) | Free, anonymous and confidential, day and night. The phone number works only in the Netherlands; from abroad, use chat. |
| Urgent crisis when you already have a GGZ clinician | Your current clinician | Call your clinician or use the crisis contact they gave you. |
| Urgent crisis during GP hours | Your huisarts | Call and say clearly that it is an urgent mental-health crisis. |
| Urgent crisis outside GP hours | Huisartsenpost | Use the number on your GP's website or answering message and say it is urgent. |
Your huisarts or huisartsenpost can involve the regional crisisdienst (crisis service), available day and night. Acute care is exempt from the normal referral requirement. For other urgent-care situations, read Emergency care in the Netherlands.
For related care and integration steps, read these pages:
- Author
- By Inburgering.org team
- Reviewer
- Reviewed by Kirill Svavolia
Official Sources
- Rijksoverheid (Dutch central government): Psychische hulp door huisarts of andere zorgaanbieders binnen ggz (External site, opens in a new tab) - The huisarts and POH-GGZ treat lighter complaints. Transfers within GGZ need no new GP referral; the provider notifies the huisarts.
- Zorginstituut Nederland (National Health Care Institute): Geneeskundige ggz (Zvw) (medical mental healthcare under the Health Insurance Act) (External site, opens in a new tab) - Adult GGZ coverage conditions, accepted referrers, the exploratory conversation, waiting-list mediation, medicines, youth care and the mandatory deductible.
- Rijksoverheid: Wie vergoedt mijn hulp bij psychische problemen? (External site, opens in a new tab) - GGZ reimbursement depends on the policy and normally requires a referral, except for care that is needed immediately.
- Rijksoverheid: Wanneer heb ik een verwijsbrief nodig? (External site, opens in a new tab) - A valid referral may be required for reimbursement, and a huisarts who refuses a referral must explain the decision.
- Rijksoverheid: Welke polissen biedt de zorgverzekeraar? (External site, opens in a new tab) - A naturapolis may reimburse less for a non-contracted provider; the percentage and conditions are in the policy.
- Rijksoverheid: Wanneer betaal ik een eigen risico? (External site, opens in a new tab) - The mandatory deductible is €385 in 2026; GP care is exempt, while most care from the basic package uses the deductible.
- Rijksoverheid: Welke medicijnen krijg ik vergoed? (External site, opens in a new tab) - Covered medicines use the deductible and may have a separate co-payment, capped at €250 per calendar year in 2026. Preference policy has a medical-necessity exception.
- Rijksoverheid: Welke voorbehouden handelingen mag een zorgverlener uitvoeren? (External site, opens in a new tab) - Doctors, physician assistants and qualified nurse specialists may prescribe medicines within their professional scope.
- Rijksoverheid: Wachttijden in de zorg (External site, opens in a new tab) - Waiting-list mediation and the insurer’s duty to arrange alternative care or reimburse non-contracted care when necessary.
- NZa: Zorgbemiddeling (External site, opens in a new tab) - Insurers must offer an accessible care-mediation service, and providers must tell patients about it when a wait exceeds the norm or a patient stop applies.
- NZa: Wachttijden bij gecontracteerde zorg zijn te lang (External site, opens in a new tab) - The insurer must help find an alternative provider, whatever the policy. After a prior mediation request fails to produce timely care, it cannot limit reimbursement for suitable non-contracted care available on time.
- NZa: Gegevens aanleveren ggz (External site, opens in a new tab) - Since 2026, waiting times for single-site providers come from claims data; multi-site providers still submit monthly data and providers publish waiting times.
- Regelhulp (care and support information service): Hulp bij een psychische crisis (External site, opens in a new tab) - In a crisis, contact your existing GGZ clinician, otherwise the huisarts or huisartsenpost. The crisis service is available day and night; immediate danger requires 112.
- 113 Suicide Prevention: English (External site, opens in a new tab) - 113 and its chat offer free, anonymous and confidential support 24 hours a day; the phone number works only inside the Netherlands.
- Rijksoverheid: Rechten en plichten bij medische behandeling (External site, opens in a new tab) - Patients have rights to clear information, shared decisions, refusal, medical-record access, privacy and a second opinion.
- Rijksoverheid: Toestemming voor delen van het medisch dossier (External site, opens in a new tab) - Record sharing generally needs consent, although care-related and legal exceptions exist.
- Rijksoverheid: Wat is een second opinion? (External site, opens in a new tab) - A treating clinician normally refers for a second opinion, while reimbursement often depends on a referral and the policy.
- Rijksoverheid: Klacht over een arts of zorginstelling (External site, opens in a new tab) - Discuss a complaint with the provider or go directly to its free independent complaints officer. Unresolved complaints can go to the provider’s recognised disputes body.
- SKGZ: Klacht indienen — zo werkt dat (External site, opens in a new tab) - For an insurance dispute, complain to the insurer first; SKGZ can help after an unsatisfactory answer or no answer within four weeks.
- Regelhulp: Jeugdhulp regelen (External site, opens in a new tab) - Most care for people under 18 runs through the municipality under the Youth Act, with several direct referral routes.
- Rijksoverheid: Inzage in het medisch dossier van een kind (External site, opens in a new tab) - Consent and medical-record control change for children under 12, ages 12 to 15, and young people aged 16 or older.
- Regelhulp: Hulp bij verslaving (External site, opens in a new tab) - A huisarts can refer to addiction care; adult care is generally insured and care for people under 18 falls under the Youth Act.
- KNMG (Dutch doctors’ professional organisation): Kwaliteitsnorm tolkgebruik bij anderstaligen in de zorg (quality standard for interpreter use in healthcare) (External site, opens in a new tab) - The provider must assess a language barrier and use a suitable interpreter when that is needed for safe care and informed consent.
- BIG-register: English (External site, opens in a new tab) - The public register shows whether professionals in protected healthcare professions are registered and whether restrictions apply.
- Regelhulp: Behandeling van psychische klachten (zonder opname) (External site, opens in a new tab) - Basic and specialist GGZ routes, and insurer reimbursement of an interpreter needed during GGZ treatment.
- NZa: Welke vergoedingen voor een tolk zijn beschikbaar? (External site, opens in a new tab) - Interpreter funding options for GP practices differ by patient and funding arrangement.
- Zorginstituut Nederland: Wettelijke domeinen voor zorg en ondersteuning aan mensen met een psychische stoornis (guide to the laws covering mental healthcare and support) (External site, opens in a new tab) - The linked 2021 guide confirms that youth GP and POH-GGZ care and prescribed psychiatric medicines fall under health insurance.
- Regelhulp: Een hulpverlener of zorgaanbieder vinden (External site, opens in a new tab) - The municipality can help find youth care; provider choice can depend on a municipal contract or another funding arrangement.
- Burgerlijk Wetboek Boek 7 (Civil Code Book 7): medische behandeling (External site, opens in a new tab) - Articles 448, 450 and 455–457 cover information, consent, record access, deletion and confidentiality; article 465 covers representation when a patient cannot decide.
- Rijksoverheid: Gedwongen opname en dwang in de geestelijke gezondheidszorg (External site, opens in a new tab) - Compulsory care can apply when a mental disorder causes serious harm or a substantial risk of it. It is a last resort and must follow the legal decision procedure.
- Thuisarts (patient health-information website): Stoppen met medicijnen tegen depressie (External site, opens in a new tab) - Discuss stopping or reducing antidepressants with the doctor and follow the agreed plan.
- DUO (Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs, the Dutch education service): Niet inburgeren vanwege ziekte of beperking (External site, opens in a new tab) - Illness can lead to medical-waiver, adapted-exam or extra-time options; DUO decides on a waiver after medical assessment.
- Rijksoverheid: Verschil tussen eigen bijdrage en eigen risico (External site, opens in a new tab) - The deductible applies to further insured care only until the yearly amount is used. Supports the €200 paid and €185 remaining worked example.
- NZa: Transparantieregeling zorgaanbieders ggz (transparency regulation for mental-healthcare providers) (External site, opens in a new tab) - Article 7 specifies four weeks from first provider contact to intake and ten weeks from intake to treatment.
- Wet verplichte geestelijke gezondheidszorg (Compulsory Mental Healthcare Act) (External site, opens in a new tab) - Articles 1:1, 3:1 and 3:3 cover serious harm or its substantial risk, the legal approval or emergency procedure, unavailable voluntary and less intrusive effective alternatives, proportionality and expected effectiveness.