General practitioners (GPs) play an important role in the detection and management of mental illness, especially with prevalent conditions such as depression and anxiety, and social conditions such as intimate partner violence.1 The prevalence of gender-based violence has been estimated at 27.4%.2 In the most recent (2007) Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, the prevalence of any lifetime mental disorder was 45.5%, with a 12-month prevalence of 14.4% for anxiety disorders, 6.2% for affective disorders and 5.1% for substance use disorders.3 Patients, especially women, who experience underlying intimate partner violence, often present with depression and anxiety.4