If the mental health system in NSW was buckling before, it is broken now.

As a psychiatrist, the injustice of sending people away from our overloaded services when they are desperate for help weighs heavily.

Even when we accept people into care, it is demoralising to work in a system that is so under-resourced we cannot provide the standard of care we know is best for our patients.

Our mental health system has never been under so much stress, and we are seeing a lethal spiral as professionals, including senior doctors, leave our public hospitals in droves.