If you’re having suicidal thoughts, is there a professional available to help?
You’d think there would be help at hand for those so distressed they’re at risk of suicide. A shortage of mental health professionals, especially outside the big capital cities, suggests that’s not always the case.
If you’re struggling with your mental health to the point where you’re having suicidal thoughts, you’d hope professional help would be near at hand.
But this is far from the case, especially if you live outside the big capital cities.
A national shortage of mental health professionals including GPs and psychiatrists is having serious consequences for some of the country’s most acutely distressed people, the Australian Medical Association warns.
In its submission on the draft Advice on the National Suicide Prevention Strategy, the AMA says the present “workforce crisis” in mental health support must be addressed to better prevent suicide.
AMA president Danielle McMullen said general practitioners, psychiatrists, specialists, mental health nurses, psychologists, paediatricians, school counsellors, social workers and other qualified mental health professionals are all vital to helping those at risk.
“But we are currently facing severe workforce shortages or inadequate staffing in our mental health system,” Dr McMullen said.
“In psychiatry alone we have just under 4300 psychiatrists working in Australia, which is nowhere near enough.
“Psychiatrists are also unevenly distributed across the country, with close to 80 per cent of the workforce in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.”
About nine Australians die of suicide each day and there are an estimated 65,000 suicide attempts each year, according to Australian Bureau of Statistic data.
It is the leading cause of death for Australians aged 15-44.
The circumstances of each are unique, but nine in 10 of those who died by suicide had other risk factors such as psychosocial stressors, mental health conditions, chronic disease, substance abuse issues or a history of childhood abuse.
The National Suicide Prevention Strategy, in development since late 2022, will put in place a 10-year prevention road map. It is being overseen by the National Suicide Prevention Office, formed in 2021 with the aim of eliminating suicide in Australia.
Amid criticism it was taking too long to finalise the strategy, the Albanese government in September put out an “Advice on the National Suicide Prevention Strategy Consultation draft” and called for further submissions.
The draft document sets out a prevention framework reaching into not just mental health but also housing and homelessness, unemployment, family and domestic violence and financial insecurity.
The AMA is calling on the government to do more to build the nation’s inadequate psychiatrist and psychologist numbers, and to bolster support for GPs who are taking on more and more of the acute support patients require.
“With the shortage of psychiatrists and psychologists, the burden on GPs in managing the caseload of patients has increased,” Dr McMullen said.
“We are urging the government to invest in the psychiatry workforce as well as measures to support well-designed, medically governed multi-disciplinary teams.
“Investment is needed to develop capacity in mental health services in GP and private psychiatrist practices and this extends to embedding accredited mental health nurses and social workers.
“These ‘wrap-around’ services will deliver improved health outcomes, particularly in rural, regional and remote areas,” she said.
The AMA submission also calls for better co-ordination between state and federal governments, and the public and private mental health system, which are affected by “fragmented care pathways and bottlenecks”.
If you need someone to talk to, call:
- Lifeline on 13 11 14
- Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467
- Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36
