Waitlist for mental health services

Psychiatrists are urging the Queensland government to fund more mental health positions as they grapple with having just two-thirds of required staff amid a "mental health crisis" that has seen a 90 per cent increase in emergency department presentations.

It comes as children and young people are faced with six to nine-month waitlists to see psychologists and psychiatrists.

Queensland doctors also reported up to a 30 per cent spike in people seeing their GPs for mental health problems last year during the pandemic, according to AMA Queensland president Professor Chris Perry.

The mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic saw calls to Beyond Blue increase by 42 per cent nationally, and 8 per cent in Queensland during 2020 compared with 2019.

'Mental health crisis gripping community'

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Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists' Queensland branch chair Professor Brett Emmerson has called for the state government to commit to growing the workforce by 5 per cent annually over the next five years to help alleviate the "mental health crisis gripping the community".

He said Queensland's mental health services had just two-thirds of the staff required pre-pandemic under the national mental health planning framework.

Professor Emmerson told ABC Radio Brisbane the current $46 million Queensland government funding for additional staffing over the next 18 months was welcome but was a drop in the ocean of what was needed.

"If we went from 65 per cent [of recommended staff levels] up to 90 per cent that would go a very long way to meeting some of the pre-COVID needs," he said.

Surge in eating disorders

Professor Emmerson is also the executive director of Metro North Hospital Service and said the mental health crisis amid COVID-19 had seen a 90 per cent increase in emergency department presentations across four hospitals in Metro North.

Support for young people and families

• Headspace: Centres in each state and territory or check out eheadspace for online support
• The Kids Helpline: 24-hour support on 1800 55 1800
• Lifeline: 24-hour support for all Australians on 13 11 14

"The groups affected are eating disorders, young people [aged 1025], the elderly, and there's a whole group affected by COVID," he said.

Professor Emmerson also called for several hundred additional beds across the state for mental health in-patients and alternatives such as step-up and step-down services.

AMA Queensland president professor Chris Perry said many people had struggled with the changes to their lives and uncertainty during the COVID-19 pandemic.

If you or anyone you know needs help:

• Lifeline on 13 11 14
• Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800
• MensLine Australia on 1300 789 978
• Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467
• Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636
• Headspace on 1800 650 890
• ReachOut at au.reachout.com
• Care Leavers Australasia Network [CLAN] on 1800 008 774

"No-one has to manage on their own. GPs are able to help with both your physical and mental health," he said.

Queensland Mental Health Commissioner Ivan Frkovic agreed that greater investment was needed in addition to more training places for mental health practitioners and current staff levels.

He said services were lacking for children up to 12 years of age, and there was not "great investment" in that age group despite being the period "where you can make the greatest impact".

"We've got to try to see how we invest some money upstream to be able to meet with families and children at that earlier stage rather than waiting until adolescence and then trying to see if we can intervene at that point," he said.

GPs 'very, very worried for patients'

GP and director of Family Doctors Plus Maria Boulton said her practice had recorded an increase of patients presenting with mental health concerns by about 50 per cent.

"We're also seeing increased eating disorders, we're seeing a lot of anxiety in younger people, we're seeing a lot of anxiety and depression in adults," Dr Boulton said.

Dr Boulton said doctors were looking after patients as best they could, spending hours on the phone contacting specialists to determine waitlists across locations most of which were "six to nine months".

"Which is really, really long especially when you've got someone in distress who has perhaps lost a job because of COVID and they need extra support," she said.

"We will help people, we're always keen to help. Of course, if anyone has any trouble we do suggest you see your GP."

If you or anyone you know needs help with an eating disorder, contact:

• Butterfly Foundation on 1800 33 4673
• Lifeline on 13 11 14
• Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800
• Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36
• Headspace on 1800 650 890

Dr Boulton said GPs were "very, very worried for patients" due to waitlists.

"We advise them of all the different resources that are around, we also advise them to wait on a waitlist and continue to ring around, and we also get them to come back to us," she said.

"For example, I've got a patient who can't get in until August, and I will be seeing that patient, at the moment it's weekly, until they can get seen."

A Queensland Health spokesperson said as part of the Queensland government's $46.5 million Mental Health and Wellbeing Community Package, 10 priority hospital and health services were identified for additional funding to support immediate mental health, alcohol and other drug treatment services amid COVID-19 demand.

"The package comprises six targeted evidence-based initiatives designed to mitigate the immediate and longer-term mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, including additional community mental health and drug and alcohol treatment and support responses, specialist mental health services for people in quarantine, additional capacity within existing AOD residential rehabilitation services, localised mental health initiatives, and youth mental health," the spokesperson said.

"The range of initiatives will create approximately 100 community full-time equivalent [FTE] frontline positions within the health sector."

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