The last link in that chain is often the mental health care system, which a recent report found to be rife with systemic failures in New South Wales. That’s particularly true for people like Luke and Alice, who sadly died after several touchpoints with the health system. Luke had sought help three times within a three-week span. Even after voicing these suicidal ideations, he was disappointed by a system that didn’t provide the care he was truly craving. Alice had several admissions to psychiatric wards in the months leading up to her death. This reported situation sparked national outrage over the level of care given to those experiencing a crisis.
The Luke Report, the initial state-mandated study named after Luke, details a vicious cycle. It underscores the abandonment and absence of procedural checks that resulted in these fatalities. At a time when mental health challenges are surging across the country, more than 60,000 Australians with severe mental illness continue to lack the vital community supports. Despite a substantial investment of $2.9 billion into mental health services by the NSW government last year, the statistics reveal a grim reality: more than half of Australians facing mental health challenges do not receive timely help.
A Pattern of Neglect
Luke’s case is particularly haunting. His unbelievable story took him back to an acute psychiatric hospital unit three times in three weeks. He had attended the emergency department to seek help for his suicidal ideation. In spite of his evident anguish, systemic failures contributed to his preventable demise.
His sibling expressed deep frustration at the system’s shortcomings, stating, “At what point will governments across all levels recognize and understand that we in Australia have an escalating mental health crisis that is not being adequately addressed?” They emphasized the humanity of those affected, saying, “Luke was a person. Luke had a life. Luke, like so many others, deserved better.”
Alice’s experience mirrors Luke’s in many ways. Additionally, both just over nine months prior to her death, she was stabilized, then decompensated and converted to psychiatric wards on three separate occasions—resulting in three month-long stays. Tragically, the day before her final discharge, she confided to a family member, “I can’t wait to get out of here so I can kill myself.” This shocking admission is a reflection of the gaps in follow-up care and continued support for patients leaving the depths of high-intensity treatment.
“I believe very strongly that Alice’s suicide was due to a complete failure by the health system, a failure in duty of care,” said a family member. “There were a sea of red flags that were ignored, overlooked or minimized.”
System Under Strain
For years now, experts within the mental health community have sounded alarm bells about this growing crisis. Psychiatrist Pramudie Gunaratne underscored that what’s considered appropriate care today would never be tolerated in any other area of medicine. “This is a shortfall we would not accept anywhere else in our health sector,” Gunaratne stated.
He went on to stress that the public mental health system only offers crisis care at this time. “The only thing that we are able to actually uphold in our current public mental health [system] is crisis care, and that doesn’t actually provide ongoing, good quality care for our patients,” Gunaratne explained.
A psychiatric crisis clinician who recently quit Sydney Local Health District, Dr Suzy Goodison, named staffing as the biggest issue. She feels these shortcomings are fundamental causes of the system’s failings. “It comes down to loss of staffing in community mental health services. They’re running on the sniff of an oily rag,” she stated.
When coupled with the shocking statistics around mental health, it is easy to see why the call for reform is urgent. More than four million Australians are facing debilitating mental health issues, and figures for acute symptoms are escalating. The sad reality of the NSW government’s data is something we should have seen coming. Thousands of people living with serious mental illnesses are falling through the cracks of an inundated system.
Government Response and Future Implications
In response to these findings, the NSW Health Department has accepted that it needs to do better. A spokesperson stated, “We acknowledge there is more work to do to address the areas of need, and NSW Health is continuing this important work with stakeholders to further investigate and identify services best suited to addressing identified gaps.”
The federal government has made unprecedented investments in mental health services, but families like Luke’s and Alice’s remain skeptical. They demand to know if these resources are actually reaching the ground to address their critical needs first. These heartbreaking results illustrate the ongoing need for monetary assistance. Past supply issues show that we need to make sure that our care systems are properly staffed and resourced to care for patients with the most complex needs.
Further, the exorbitant costs tied to private mental health care create further roadblocks for families who are unable to afford treatment. Costs at private clinics can exceed $1,000 a day. With coverage restricted to only the highest-level insurance plans, millions of Americans find themselves with a much larger gap between them and the necessary treatment they require.
