PEOPLE are waiting several months to be able to access a psychiatrist in Canberra, with an expert warning the situation is “disturbing” and it is concerning that people are being turned away.

Some specialist mental health workers have closed their books and aren’t accepting new clients, while others are taking on additional work to deal with demand as waitlists blow out.

Dr Fatma Lowden, a Canberra-based psychiatrist and chair of the ACT branch of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) says patients in Canberra are waiting between three and six months to see a psychiatrist.

“That’s a major concern,” Dr Lowden says.

“I’m disturbed by the waitlist and concerned by the general shortage of psychiatrists in both the private and public system.”

Dr Lowden says there’s been a shortage of psychiatrists in Canberra for some time, but increased demand due to the pandemic has exacerbated the issue.

“There’s been about a 30 per cent increase in the presentation of mental health cases since the pandemic started and that’s happening everywhere,” Dr Lowden says.

Dr Lowden says some psychiatrists had “closed their books” and were not taking on new clients forcing patients to seek interstate appointments or appointments via telehealth.

“I don’t close my books, but a lot of my colleagues have had to,” Dr Lowden says.

“There is an overall shortage across the country in terms of psychiatrists and we, unfortunately, have the worst share at the moment.”

Gregg Heldon, who’s had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for nine years, knows how hard it is to access specialised mental health support in the ACT and shared his experiences with “CityNews” on its social media platforms recently.

“Try having PTSD and finding a psychologist or psychiatrist here in Canberra that specialises in the treatment,” Mr Heldon wrote on Facebook.

“You either wait at least six months for an appointment or you go interstate. “And don’t bother ringing ACT Mental Health. I tried twice. Each time I was told they didn’t have a person on site that dealt with PTSD.

“I’ve learnt how little mental health support services there are in the ACT.”

Dr Lowden says it’s worrying that people most in need are unable to receive help in a timely manner.

“There is no doubt that the general shortage of psychiatrists in Canberra is making it difficult for PTSD patients,” Dr Lowden says.

“They are a huge risk group with a huge risk of mortality and high risk of self harm and it’s a huge concern.

“Any serious psychiatric condition is a huge concern for us and that’s why we need to have the community mental health systems working really well.”

Dr Lowden has identified a lack of funding as a reason for the “dilapidated” state of community health services.

“There’s such a shortage of funds and staffing in community health,” Dr Lowden says.

“The working system is dilapidated and in huge need of funding. Funding would help increase the services in the public system and help get these people treated. The system is in desperate need of repair.”

As a means of addressing the case overload within the public system, Dr Lowden

says RANZCP is looking at ways to encourage colleagues in private practice to help address the backlog of cases.

“We are looking at how we can get psychiatrists in private practice to work in the public system to reduce the burden,” Dr Lowden says.

“There are also some general practitioners that are interested in treating these patients, so if we can organise a regular supervision program or some psychiatrist support for GPs they can be more involved in the treatment because it is a very specialised area.

“It’s our task to work together to use all the available resources and psychiatrists both in public and private.”