Avani Dias

3 weeks ago | abc.net.au | Avani Dias |Amy Donaldson |Maddy King

"I actually wasn't surprised."That was NSW mental health minister Rose Jackson's response to our Four Corners story exposing the state of the system she oversees. We uncovered that people are waiting up to four days for critical mental health treatment in one of the country's busiest emergency departments. Doctors revealed they feel pressured by higher ups to discharge patients too soon.

3 weeks ago | abc.net.au | Avani Dias |Amy Donaldson |Maddy King

Desperate and grieving families say they're living with the consequences of the crisis in New South Wales' public mental health system. Their loved ones are part of a group the system does not adequately care for, known as "the missing middle" — people with complex mental health needs who are too unwell for a GP, but not sick enough to be admitted to hospital.

3 weeks ago | abc.net.au | Avani Dias

Four days - that's how long a mental health patient at one of the country's busiest emergency departments waited for treatment, according to figures seen by Four Corners. And doctors have revealed they felt pressured to discharge people in severe mental health crisis before they're ready. Featured:Teaghanne Sarina, mental health nurseDr Anu Kataria, psychiatristDr Suzy Goodison, former psychiatrist, Royal Prince Alfred HospitalProfessor Gordon Parker, psychiatristIsabella Higgins: Four days.

3 weeks ago | abc.net.au | Avani Dias |Amy Donaldson |Maddy King

A corridor, in one of the country's busiest emergency departments, has become a makeshift waiting room. People wait on chairs and sleep on the floor. In April, one man in desperate need of help waited 93 hours — almost four days — for a mental health bed. The man forced to wait in Sydney's Westmead Hospital has schizoaffective disorder, a condition that combines psychosis with mood episodes like mania or depression.

Feb 27, 2025 | abc.net.au | Avani Dias |Amy Donaldson

The NSW government must urgently rebuild the state's mental health system, one of the nation's leading psychiatrists says, as he warns the situation is "as bad as it's ever been". Professor Pat McGorry, a former Australian of the Year, met with the state's premier on Thursday following a mass resignation of psychiatrists and the shutdown of beds at hospitals.