Australia's mental health services buckling due to rising demand, staff shortages, patient violence

Melbourne, Oct 9 (The Conversation) Imagine seeking urgent help during an acute mental health crisis event and expecting calm, capable support. You enter the hospital and notice that the mental health nurses, normally a source of strength, appear to be under significant stress themselves. They are exhausted, overwhelmed and struggling with their own mental wellbeing.

Is this the future we want? Or is it, in some ways, already here? Mental health nurses are the backbone of Australia’s healthcare system. But they are buckling under system-level pressures: inadequate staffing ratios, ensuring the right level of experience and expertise, rising workloads and casual employment.

Despite their importance, mental health nurses face unique occupational challenges including high emotional demands,