09/10/2026
Ahead of World Mental Health Day tomorrow, the AMA is calling for urgent reform of the mental health system.
The AMA’s new position statement, Supporting Australians with severe and enduring mental illness 2026, highlights growing concern from clinicians that current services are failing some of the most vulnerable people in the community.
Consultation with doctors working across mental health settings revealed overwhelming concern about the state of care available to people with severe and enduring mental illness, with 98% of clinicians who responded to an AMA survey reporting that the system supports these patients either “poorly” or “very poorly”.
AMA Vice President Associate Professor Julian Rait said Australians living with severe and enduring mental illness deserve a system built around continuity of care, not one that only responds when people reach crisis point.
“Far too many Australians with complex and long-term mental illness are cycling through emergency departments, hospitals, crisis services and, in some cases, the justice system because they cannot access the coordinated, ongoing support they need,” A/Prof Rait said.
“People with severe and enduring mental illness often require support over many years. Yet our current system is largely designed around short-term interventions that do not adequately address their long-term needs.”
AMA (WA) President Dr Kyle Hoath agreed with A/Prof Rait’s assessment.
“It’s hard to imagine anything more detrimental to mental health, particularly for those with severe and enduring illness, than the fragmented system being experienced by patients across the Australian health system,” he said.
Find a link to the AMA's position statement in the comments👇
