In my EU country, making an appointment got extra steps asking about one's mental state, namely depression or loneliness. One wonders if this age of social atomization, people (probably mostly those elderly) are making unnecessary appointments just to have someone to talk to.

That may be part of it but my guess is that since patients tend not to proactively mention depression and loneliness to their doctor, the doctor's office wants to know in advance whether they should be referring you to a mental health specialist.