Wow. Just wow. News from NSW health

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@Dimity wrote:

But I agree psychiatrists have to be in the mix, I don't agree with @chibam that well-meaning unqualified people can treat complex issues and severe illness.

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I'm not suggesting that we should completely eradicate educated therapists from the mental health system; but I do believe that their numbers ought to be greatly reduced, and that they ought to be regarded more as a "last resort" in treating patients.

Afterall, how much of their patients really do have "complex issues" and/or "severe illness"? I'd wager that the majority of them have rather simple problems (i.e. simple in nature, but dreadful in weight) that would have a very straightforward solution; they simply require a therapist with the means and inclination to deliver this solution. In many cases, this could probably be delivered by an ordinary member of the public; particularly if they are well-connected within the community. We just need to start hiring these members of the public, so that they are actually obligated (by the terms of their employment) to deliver this sort of help, instead of just kicking the patient aside.

Frankly, for whatever merit there may be in having "qualified people" in the mental health system, I think that flooding the industry with people who have all been brainwashed by the same sort of high education has caused much, much more harm then good. Far from making them more insightful, this education has blinded them to the idea that their patients' woes can be anything other then an illness of some sort. So they end up "treating" things like loneliness with pills! Or persecution from the government with electric shocks!

Any average Joe off the street would have far more sense then that.

If I ever were to seek out help again, I would want to make sure that I got a therapist with no mental health education whatsoever. As things stand, where can I go to get that sort of service?

It looks as though your wish for fewer psychiatrists is coming to pass @chibam .

Unfortunately as you can see it means even fewer total mental health beds for the many desperately needing and/or seeking crisis care. Heaven knows how those seeking clinical interventions, care and support at a lower level will be helped unless by the existing nursing and allied health workforce and the ever-cited mythical community care.

Sending you good vibes @Bow .

I trust SANE is advocating for our community @tyme @RachSANECEO .

This is the news I read today. Psych patients begin move from public to private today: NSW Health - Medical Republic https://search.app/Gb3sMm5gupKin23S6

@Bow @chibam I haven't listened yet but a SANE peer ambassador spoke on ABC yesterday about the crisis

The problems facing public psychiatry - ABC listen https://search.app/1UKvifYaZBYrfsyH9

@tyme @RachSANECEO

Thanks for the tag @Dimity we have put out a media statement and done quite a bit of media on this already, I’ll ask the team to paste some links for you.

Thanks @RachSANECEO I'd appreciate that

Hey @Dimity here a few links you might like to check out:

Rachel Green - Psychiatry Shortage (29/01/25) - Ron Wilson for Breakfast - Omny.fm

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/jan/28/my-daughter-was-involuntarily-admitted-to-a-psych-ward-in-nsw-i-saw-the-crisis-first-hand

*Edit to add another one:

https://medianet.news.com.au/release/1019172

@chibam I’m just now reading your last 2 replies to this thread and I can not disagree with you more.

im sorry but comparing the work of an uneducated unqualified retail working with that of a highly trained and qualified psychiatrist is utterly ridiculous. I could not begin to imagine the utter explosive mess our country would be in if we allowed uneducated, unqualified and inexperienced people to treat the most vulnerable and unwell members of society. I would guarantee there would be more suicides, more people presenting to ER and more disastrous incidents amongst society.

I will absolutely be the first one to say that there are definitely some shit psychiatrist out there. And there beside manner and treatment of patients can be wrong. But that is the minority.

And to question whether people have complex or severe mental health issues is ignorant. The hospitals and emergency departments are full of these unwell people. The community to full of these unwell people. And there are many many of them represented right here within this community. I am one of them. I have been diagnosed accordingly by an EDUCATED AND QUALIFIED person. And to have someone like yourself question that makes me so angry. Are you REALLY that sick yourself @chibam???? Do you really need the medication you have been prescribed by a QUALIFIED person? Do you really need the support you receive? Cause that is what you are asking a very vulnerable person when you question whether they are genuinely severely and complexly unwell? I am VERY VERY far from having ‘simple’ issues. Far out.

So suggesting that we offer our local woolies night packer an extra $10 a year and offer them to jump ship and care for our most vulnerable is utter nonsense.

Thanks for the links @Ru-bee . And I recommend the ABC Listen link where TeganTaylor speaks with SANE peer ambassador Terese and two doctors. It runs for about 20 minutes .

@Bow I agree with you about the reality of severe and complex mental health conditions and the need for qualified and experienced practitioners. I'm someone else who has experienced the pointy end of of illness and services.

Yes, I popped that on while I worked this afternoon @Dimity, really illuminating listen!

We also wanted to add this here too, as we're so proud to have such a strong leader in this sector in @RachSANECEO who shared these thoughts on Linkedin in response to NSW Psychiatry crisis:

"Don’t let the recent media coverage of the NSW mental health crisis fool you. Early reporting on the pay rates of public hospital psychiatrists pitted one profession against another or inferred that people seeking mental health care are ‘clogging’ up our hospital emergency departments. This week coverage turned to alarmist and premature suggestions of a possible increase in violent behaviour due to people not being able to access medication. How about we address the elephant in the room. People impacted by this breakdown of the mental health system in NSW are people like you and me, people who deserve the same quality of health care as everyone else. They’re Mums, Dads, friends, neighbours, work colleagues. They’re not the scary stereotypes of a bad Halloween campaign. These are people living with valid health issues who, more often than not, are also juggling a full time job, a family and an enormous Sydney mortgage. Furthermore, these are individuals and families who have put up with a lot already. They’ve been bounced around an overburdened and outdated mental health system that doesn’t meet their needs or provide the required care when and where it’s needed. For them, discrimination and inequity is par for the course but it doesn’t have to be. And this is the real story. We can either continue to wring our hands and talk about the comparative pay rates of consultant psychiatrists and the average wage; we could seize this opportunity to finally make some big changes to how we deliver mental health care and support people within our community. Psychiatry is a critical component of mental health care but it’s just one of the many available treatment and support modalities that have been shown to work. Mental health nurses, counsellors, peer workers, occupational therapists, digital and telehealth models like we deliver SANE or lived experience led residential PARC models…the list goes on. We shouldn’t be focussing on the comparative rates of pay for consultant psychiatrists. The story should be focussed on the things we can do to improve lives, starting with making our mental health system equitable and ensuring easy and continuous access to diverse range of treatment options. Just like we would all expect with any other health issue. It's time for us all to challenge our thinking on what works for mental health and look beyond what we have known for decades isn’t sufficient. #mentalhealth"