“You’ve really got to import,and you’ve got to then widen the bandwidth of all the training programs.”
Australia has 3615 psychiatrists,28,412 psychologists and 24,111 mental health nurses according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Australians For Mental Health says this needs to be doubled to meet existing demand and also improve the country’s mental health system.
Liberal MP Dr Fiona Martin,a psychologist and chair of the select committee on mental health and suicide,said while thousands of students will enrol in a first-year psychology course,they are whittled down to about a hundred by their honours year. Those wanting to specialise,or become clinical psychologists,have to compete for a handful of spots in masters programs.
“That’s a big problem given psychologists are the lifeblood of the mental health workforce,” she said.
Dr Martin said better digital service systems will reduce the current barriers to specialist care,help coordinate services and also track people’s progress.
“By utilising digital service systems,we can redefine the roles and responsibilities of the existing workforce to make sure that they’re being used in the most effective way,so that those that are really well-trained do more complex work,” she said.
Loading
The country’s mental health system was already under strain before the pandemic. But the toll of long lockdowns,separation from friends and family and anxiety over the virus has been significant,Professor McGorry said.
“Mental health professionals suffer moral injury every day by having to turn away two out of three people who are desperately ill,” he said. “That’s our daily experience and no one’s cared about that. So it’s not fair to put mental health professionals in that position forever.”
A YouGov survey of more than 1600 people,conducted for Australians for Mental Health,highlighted some of the mental health challenges of the pandemic. It found that 90 per cent of Australians said the pandemic has had a negative impact on mental health.
Nearly six in 10 people (58 per cent) said they either knew someone or had themselves experienced mental health challenges in the past year.
Crisis support is available from Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800