Many Australians experience the country’s mental health system as inadequate, dangerous and financially punishing, saying they often feel unsafe in hospitals, are dismissed by health professionals and are hit with prohibitive costs that government subsidies do not come close to covering.
And practitioners in turn have spoken of burnout and their frustration with misplaced funding, inadequate quick fixes, overmedication of patients and inconsistencies and duplication in the system, while acknowledging that many seeking help find the system “deeply traumatic”.
Many who responded to Guardian Australia’s call-out asking readers to share experiences of the mental health system are the face of the “missing middle”, a term often used in reports and inquiries aimed at assessing the gaps in the mental health system.
The Orygen youth mental health service in Victoria says the “missing middle” refers to those who “are often too unwell for primary care but not unwell enough for state-based services”. In other words, their care is too complex for a GP but not severe enough for admission to hospital.
