Dr Vivek Phutane
VIC
FRANZCP, MBBS, MD, Cert Adv Tr Psychiatry of Old Age
Pronouns- He/Him
Dr Vivek Phutane is a Consultant Psychiatrist and Fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (FRANZCP), with 16 years of experience working as a psychiatrist. He has completed Advanced Training in Psychiatry of Old Age through the RANZCP and has extensive experience in the assessment and management of adult and older adult mental health conditions. Dr Phutane joined PSYCH2U/GP2U in September 2025 and provides psychiatric assessment and management through telepsychiatry. He currently works as a Consultant Psychiatrist and Clinical Director of the Adult and Older Adult Mental Health and Wellbeing Service at Goulburn Valley Health, where he is also Director of ECT Services. He has worked across inpatient, community, older persons’ mental health, psychogeriatric and telepsychiatry settings, and has also worked as a locum psychiatrist with Albury Wodonga Health. Prior to coming to Australia, Dr Phutane completed his psychiatry training at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, India, and subsequently worked for three years as a Post-Doctoral Research Associate at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
His areas of interest include:
- General adult psychiatry
- Mood disorders, including depression and bipolar disorder
- Anxiety disorders
- Psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder
- Treatment-resistant and complex psychiatric conditions
- Borderline Personality Disorder
- Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
- Older adult psychiatry
- Behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia
- Psychopharmacology and complex medication management
- Comprehensive psychiatric assessment and diagnostic clarification
- Mental health conditions occurring alongside complex medical comorbidities
Dr Phutane sees adults aged 18 years and over for:
- Anxiety disorders, including generalised anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder and PTSD
- Depression and other mood disorders, including bipolar disorder
- Personality disorders, including borderline personality disorder
- Psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder
- Complex and treatment-resistant psychiatric presentations
- Older adults, including those with mental health conditions alongside cognitive impairment, dementia and complex medical comorbidities
- Comprehensive psychiatric assessment, diagnostic clarification, and complex medication review and optimisation
- Patients under 18 years
- ADHD assessments
- WorkCover assessments (not generally undertaken)
- Medico-legal assessments and reports (not generally undertaken)
- Presentations where intellectual disability is the primary concern
- Presentations requiring significant specialist addiction management
- Acute psychiatric emergencies or immediate risk of harm – refer to local emergency or crisis mental health service
