Pioneering Hobart psychiatrist Saxby Pridmore lauded with two major awards
The field of psychiatry is a vastly different universe than the one Saxby Pridmore started practising in 50 years ago. The pioneer has now won two major awards.
The field of psychiatry is a vastly different universe than the one Saxby Pridmore began practising in 50 years ago.
Over the decades, the pioneering Hobart psychiatrist has made world-leading contributions to both research and patient care, and helped countless Tasmanians manage depression.
But he’s also been a watchful presence during that half-century, keenly aware of the changes in a field of medicine that has had massive impacts on humanity.
Professor Pridmore’s astonishing curriculum vitae has now been recognised with two significant awards from peak industry body, the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists.
“I’m very proud, but I’m a bit embarrassed by the fuss,” Prof Pridmore told the Mercury, in his characteristic low-key style.
Now 79, Prof Pridmore has lived a remarkable life and continues to contribute to his field, despite losing his beloved wife, Tasmanian artist Mary Pridmore, to motor neurone disease in 2022.
The former champion boxer and accomplished poet has been recognised for his achievements in psychiatric care and research, for his extensive academic work, and for his leadership roles at Royal Hobart Hospital and the now-closed Royal Derwent Hospital.
His research on Huntington’s disease has been noted, along with his game-changing research on suicide, which has been credited with changing public and professional perceptions, as well as his “innovative treatments and relentless pursuit of better outcomes for patients”.
One of his key achievements has been in the area of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), a cutting-edge depression treatment that is credited with saving countless lives.
Prof Pridmore was the first person to bring the treatment to the southern hemisphere, to the Royal Hobart Hospital, as a safer alternative to electro-convulsive shock therapy using magnetic lines.
“For people who have serious depression, this is a way of putting your finger onto the top of their brain and giving it a scratch,” he said.
“It’s precise, it’s focused and there are virtually no side effects.”
Prof Pridmore said the machines were still in use in private practice in Tasmania.
He said TMS was a “fabulous thing” and a “step forward” that had occurred in the field of psychiatry over the decades.
Prof Pridmore also noted the use of ketamine in treatment as having a potential for good.
But he condemned the closure of psychiatric facilities, like the Royal Derwent Hospital, and the cutting of psychiatric beds from the Royal Hobart Hospital, as having dire consequences for patients.
Accepting one of his awards on Friday night, Prof Pridmore spoke about the closure of the 700-bed New Norfolk psychiatric hospital in the year 2000.
“They closed it down with virtually no consultation,” he told the Mercury.
“The patients – some of them went to jail pretty soon. Some lived on the streets, and some died. Anyway, that was a big cost-saving thing.
“Yes it was an institution, but they got looked after. They weren’t on the street and they weren’t in the grave.”
Prof Pridmore also questioned the “over-medicalisation” of psychiatry, noting over-diagnosing was rife.
“I think we’re in trouble,” he said.
Prof Pridmore has won the national Ian Simpson Award for 2025, an award that acknowledges the most outstanding contributions to clinical psychiatry through service to patients and to the community.
He also won the Tasmanian Branch Meritorious Service Award.
Originally published as Pioneering Hobart psychiatrist Saxby Pridmore lauded with two major awards
