Some specialist mental health workers are closing their books to new patients due to overwhelming demand for support during the pandemic.
There has been a shortage of psychiatrists in Australia for many years, but increased demand due to the pandemic has exacerbated the issue.
The president of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, Vinay Lakra, admitted the system was struggling to cope.
Dr. Lakra says, "There is an increasing demand for referral to psychiatrists during the pandemic, but the number of psychiatrists required to do this work was already low,"