South Brisbane Greens MP reveals mental health struggles

South Brisbane MP Amy MacMahon has opened up on her mental health and the struggles following the car crash which “rattled her body and her brain”.

South Brisbane Greens MP Amy MacMahon has spoken of the mental health struggles she experienced in her late 20s and after her recent car accident, describing it as a “dark hole”.

In a parliamentary debate, Ms MacMahon said in her late 20s the combination of insecure and stressful work, her relationship breakdown, and mother having a stroke led to her wondering if she would “make it through the night”.

Greens MP Amy MacMahon has opened up about her mental health struggles. Picture: David Kelly

“The support of my family and friends and having something meaningful to do with my life helped me through, but also the support of psychologists and psychiatrists after the car crash a few months ago that rattled my body and my brain, I felt a dark hole opening up again,” she said.

“I was able to connect with mental health practitioners who shepherded me through recovery, back on my feet and return to work.”

Ms MacMahon said everyone should be able to access the mental health care they need.

“But we know this isn’t the case. Our mental health system has been underfunded. Thousands of people can’t access or afford the care that they need,” she said.

The Kangaroo Point crash involving Greens MP Amy MacMahon. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen/Courier Mail

It comes after the Greens on Wednesday announced they would double the number of psychologist sessions on a mental health care plan from 10 to 20 as part of the party’s election plan for healthcare.

The plan would also include employment of 1000 psychologists across Queensland to work out of 200 new public health clinics.

Greens South Brisbane MP Amy MacMahon said they would make education completely free in order to fully staff the 200 clinics amid a major workforce shortage across the state.

“We’ll be offering genuinely free university, making sure psychology students are captured within the placement payments that the federal government recently announced, making sure that people are able to get free uni to be able to boost the workforce that we need,” she said.

“We know a lot of psychologists are working many hours unpaid every week, and we know that we’re also not getting the number of new psychologists coming into the sector.”

The moment of impact in the car involving Amy MacMahon.

Assistant Minister for Health Brittany Lauga thanked Ms MacMahon for her courage in opening up about her own mental health struggles.

“What we know is mental healthcare needs to be tailored to the person requiring care. Labor has listened to the experts. We have a plan, and that plan is backed by a sustainable funding source,” she said.

Ms Lauga said the Labor Government had seen more than 427 wellbeing professionals have been employed across Queensland to provide direct wellbeing services into 759 Primary, Secondary combined and special schools.

She added the Labor Government had supported the Royal Flying Doctor Service to provide mental health services to communities in Far North Queensland as well as investing $18 million to the women and girls Health Strategy to provide therapeutic mental health and wellbeing services.

“…and we recently invested ten million to provide psychosocial supports for those in social housing,” she said.

“We’ve established 12 new acute response teams across eight Hospital and Health Services to provide timely and assertive treatment and care for children and adolescents.”