CANBERRA, Dec 7 (NNN-AAP) – Australia’s mental healthcare system is failing the people who need it most, the nation’s peak doctors’ body, said,
The Australian Medical Association (AMA), yesterday, released an official position statement on mental health and well-being in the country, warning that, the healthcare system for mental illness is underfunded, fragmented and difficult to navigate.
AMA President, Danielle McMullen, said that, finding the right care at the right time can be fraught for Australians with mental illness and their families.
“Mental healthcare is already chronically underfunded, but severe workforce shortages and inadequate staffing, the complexity of presentations, and increasing patient loads, are further contributing to a system reaching breaking point,” she said in a statement.
“Our mental healthcare system is under more strain than ever, and we need to take this crisis seriously.”
The AMA’s position statement calls for all Australian governments, to work together to invest in mental health and address severe workforce shortages plaguing the system.
According to government data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), 44 percent of Australians aged 16-85 – 8.6 million people – have experienced a mental disorder at some time in their life.
Anxiety disorders are the most common form of mental disorder in Australia, affecting 17 percent of people.
As of Dec, 2022, 14 percent of Australian children and adolescents aged four-17 were estimated to have experienced a mental disorder in the previous 12 months.
An annual report on the health of the nation, published by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners in Oct, found that, psychological issues were the number one reason for patients visiting their doctor in 2024, for the eighth consecutive year.
McMullen said yesterday that, there is a critical need for governments and NGOs to work together, on designing a mental healthcare system that is patient-centred, needs-based and informed by evidence.– NNN-AAP