The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists

07/11/2025

Tune into the latest episode: Transitioning to retirement🎧

In this episode, Dr Joanna MacDonald, Dr Brian Craig, Dr Graeme Croft, Dr Nick O'Connor, and A/Prof Chanaka Wijeratne share personal stories, emphasising the need for mentorship, community involvement, and the significance of maintaining social connections post-retirement.

They discuss retirement challenges, financial planning, the emotional impact of leaving a medical career, and offer practical tips for achieving a rewarding retirement.

Listen now. [Link in comments]

07/11/2025

People with serious mental health problems are given “third-world care” in public hospitals in an apartheid-style system, say leading psychiatrists.

RANZCP President, Dr Astha Tomar said, “When there’s a big gap between how is being provided – whether it’s bed-based services or in the community – if it is not the same as it would be for a physical health issue in the same hospital, in the same state, in the same service, then we have to wonder why.”

Dr Tomar said investment was needed “across the continuum”.

“Apart from a crisis response, the system has a very limited ability to deliver that evidence-based care. That is the biggest cause of burnout in psychiatrists, in healthcare workers, where they can see the demand, they have the expertise, the experience, the drive and the passion to deliver that care, but there is no system which enables them to do so.”

Read the full article: [Link in comments]

06/11/2025

Register for our webinar on Artificial intelligence in psychiatry: Innovation, ethics, and impact.

📅 Wednesday 10 December 2025
🕘 6.30–8.30 pm AEDT

This webinar explores the use of AI tools in a clinical setting. Bringing together , legal experts, and a representative from Avant Mutual.

This session will delve into the clinical applications of AI, medico-legal implications, and the ethical responsibilities of clinicians adopting such tools.

Register now. [Link in comments]

06/11/2025

The Australian Medical Association’s (AMA) latest report reveals patients requiring urgent are spending an average of seven hours waiting in public (EDs). This confirms what frontline have known for years: Australia’s mental health system is in crisis and the impacts on our emergency departments (EDs) are a sign of a deeper failure.

RANZCP President Dr Astha Tomar told the Australian Associated Press (AAP) that "The pressures on emergency departments only reflect a portion of the difficulties people have in access to care. Dr Tomar said the federal and state governments need to take responsibility for the sector and work together.

The RANZCP is calling for a three-pronged approach to reform: making mental health care affordable, accessible, and available before people reach crisis point and have nowhere to turn but EDs.

Read The Canberra Times article: https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/9105817/mental-health-crisis-unfolding-in-ed-departments/

Read the release: https://www.ranzcp.org/news-analysis/record-mental-health-ed-wait-times-a-symptom-of-system-wide-failure

Australian Psychological Society

Australia's public hospitals are under scrutiny as data shows rising mental health presentations are pushing the system to...

06/11/2025

Throughout in October, the College participated in , to walk, run or roll in solidarity for the 1 in 5 Australians who experience a each year.

We’re proud to have raised $4,044 for the Black Dog Institute to support ground-breaking new , education and digital services for the people who need them most, helping to create better mental health for all.

We also hosted a morning tea, where staff had the opportunity to connect, reflect, and share ways to look after themselves and each other, have a yarn, and demonstrate that mental health matters every day.

05/11/2025

The Australian Government Department of Veterans'​ Affairs is funding for former service personnel suffering depression and in special instances.

While psychedelic-assisted therapy with **A or has shown some promise, the evidence is limited and still emerging. We support the DVA’s decision to carefully review requests for funding -assisted therapy and to require providers to show that this treatment is safe and needed for each patient.

RANZCP President Dr Astha Tomar says: “Patient safety is paramount, and psychedelic-assistant therapy is associated with unique risks that demand careful clinical judgment.”

Read the full article on The Australian:
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/health/mental-health/mdma-psilocybin-therapy-treatments-funded-for-veterans-in-world-first/news-story/493fafa52edfe45be4a75bff7be3b7be?btr=59c2994d17aed88f49a804e7fa9c582a

The Department of Veterans’ Affairs has begun funding psychedelic treatments for former service personnel suffering depression and PTSD in a global first despite years of medical debate.

05/11/2025

Here’s a snippet of Dr Samantha Loi on Sam Pang Tonight this week to answer curious questions about psychiatry.

Do you ever zone out when listening to a client? Earliest you’ve ever looked at a clock? How honest can you be with your clients? Is role playing a genuine psychiatric technique?

Watch the full episode on Channel 10: https://10.com.au/sam-pang-tonight/episodes/season-2/episode-4/tpv251103azwce

03/11/2025

Deadlines for selected RANZCP awards have been extended until 16 November 2025 🏆

There’s still time to submit your nominations for the following awards:
• College Citation
• College Medal of Honour
• Margaret Tobin Award
• Pirika Taonga Award
• Psychiatry of Old Age Trainee Prize
• Psychiatry of Old Age Trainee Prize for Scholarly Project
• Section of Youth Mental Health Excellence Award

Read more. [Link in comments]

03/11/2025

Last week, psychiatrists, experts and advocates gathered at the Branch symposium in Alice Springs to discuss the gaps in support in the Northern Territory's .

and doctors are calling for mental health diversion programs to prevent young people from entering the criminal justice system, which is poorly resourced and doesn’t have access to the support they need to address underlying .

RANZCP spokesperson, NT forensic psychiatrist Dr Sarah Dorrington says there is an urgent need for reform; she said it was about stopping young people from entering the criminal justice system through early intervention.

Read the ABC News article: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-03/experts-raise-alarm-over-nt-prison-mental-health-crisis/105964576

Australian Medical Association

As incarceration rates continue to soar in the Northern Territory, experts say mental health reform in the justice system is crucial for improving community safety in the long term.

31/10/2025

Dr Sarah Dorrington NT forensic psychiatrist, spoke on ABC Alice Springs radio about last night’s health and justice advocacy symposium which brought together mental health professionals, legal experts, and Aboriginal community-controlled organisations in the largest health and justice advocacy symposium in the NT.

She was joined by AMA NT President Dr John Zorbas.

The event discussed concerns around the Territory’s growing youth incarceration rates and focused on building a coordinated plan of action to improve community safety through mental health and youth justice reform.

Dr Dorrington said psychiatrists are seeing an increase in people in custody with mental illness. “Over half of men and three-quarters of women in NT adult prisons have a mental disorder, including serious mental illness, substance use disorder, depression, anxiety, PTSD, and cognitive disability.”

She outlined the importance of early identification of people before the courts with a mental illness and early movement of those persons away from court to mental health treatment.

🎧 Tune in at 1:10:26 on ABC listen [Link in comments}

31/10/2025

The RANZCP Certificate of Postgraduate Training in Clinical Psychiatry and Rural Psychiatry Training Pathways teams recently exhibited at Rural Medicine Australia 2025 in Boorloo, Perth, hosted by the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) and Rural Doctors Association Australia.

The teams connected with , , and healthcare professionals from across Australia. Conversation themes included MBS items for general practitioners, workforce shortages and the importance of partnerships.

Health and hospital services acknowledged the need for more in rural and remote areas. The challenge for is funding for placements in some states, capacity to supervise trainees and provide an end-to-end training experience. Developing equitable and sustainable rural training opportunities is imperative, through the sharing of information, resources and collaborating with other organisations to elevate the profile of psychiatry in a rural location.

30/10/2025

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care has launched the Healthcare sustainability and resilience module.

Last year the Commission partnered with medical colleges including RANZCP on the Joint Statement on Health and Climate, as part of a broader commitment to address the health impacts of climate change. This new module supports this direction and has been designed to integrate with existing systems of safety and quality to reduce risk of harm to patient health and further impact on the environment.

Learn more and download the Module. [Link in comments]