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A long-awaited NSW Government report on gaps in mental health services has raised important questions about how we measure — and report — unmet need. As reported in The Sydney Morning Herald, the report did not identify individual Local Health Districts or show how much unmet need there was in each area. Instead, districts were compared with the NSW average, rather than with a target based on how much care their communities actually need. ASoP Director Prof. Steve Kisely ques

It was wonderful to see a sold-out evening in Melbourne for ASoP's State by State event: Psychiatrists and the Media. The evening brought psychiatrists together for a thoughtful and interesting conversation about psychiatry, the media and how we talk publicly about mental health. The discussion was lively, but what stood out most was the engagement in the room. There were different perspectives and plenty of debate, but also a strong sense of common purpose: we all want bette

Cannabis has become increasingly normalised in Australia — both recreationally and as a medicine. But important new research is adding to the evidence about its relationship with psychosis. ASoP member Prof. Matthew Large and colleagues at UNSW Medicine & Health analysed 149 studies involving more than 70,000 people and found cannabis use was associated with an earlier onset of psychosis. The effect became more pronounced with age, suggesting cumulative exposure may progressi

ASoP has joined leading NSW mental health lived experience, carer and sector organisations — alongside Elizabeth Young, whose daughter Jade was killed in the Bondi Junction attack — in calling for concrete action following the NSW Government's response to the coronial inquest. The joint advocacy, featured by ABC News, welcomed the Government's support for most of the Coroner's recommendations, but warned that "in principle" commitments on critical reforms — including supporte

The NSW Government's response to the Bondi Junction coronial inquest — and the gaps that remain — received prominent coverage in The Sydney Morning Herald this week, with ASoP featuring in the newspaper's lead story. The Government has accepted 11 of the Coroner's 13 recommendations in full, but offered only in-principle support for a key recommendation addressing short- and long-term supported accommodation for people experiencing mental illness and homelessness. ASoP CEO D

ASoP CEO Dr Pramudie Gunaratne joined ABC Drive with Thomas Oriti to discuss the NSW Government's reforms to mental health crisis response, including the new Virtual Mental Health Hub and greater involvement of health professionals in responding to Triple Zero calls. Dr Gunaratne welcomed the investment and the shift away from police being the default response to mental health emergencies, while emphasising that the success of the reforms will depend on what happens beyond th