Strengthening Mental Health Support by Understanding Psychosis

In a recent episode of ‘She Wasn’t Born Yesterday,’ hosts Janet Evans and Jenni Woodhouse sat down with psychiatrist Dr Terry Lim, director of the Mindsight Clinic, to unpack the complex realities of psychosis — and what Australia can do better when it comes to mental health support and safety.

Key points:

“Psychosis is not actually an illness,” explains Dr Lim. “It’s what we call a syndrome, a group of symptoms that come together.”

Those symptoms can include hallucinations, delusions, and changes in behaviour or thinking.

Importantly, not everyone who experiences psychosis is violent or poses a threat to others.

Psychosis symptoms can include hallucinations, delusions, and changes in behaviour or thinking.

“While psychosis is associated with a higher risk of violence, the absolute risk is still pretty low,” he adds.

Psychosis can be caused by several factors, from underlying mental illness to substance use or extreme stress.

Early intervention, Dr Lim says, makes all the difference.

“Early intervention is the most effective type of intervention that we can have.”

The cracks in the system

The conversation stemmed from the tragic 2024 Bondi Junction incident, where a man living with untreated psychosis caused multiple deaths.

It raised confronting questions about how Australia’s mental health systems coordinate across states and services.

“Often the services and the teams that are supposed to be helping patients and their families are insufficient or they fail,” Dr Lim said.

“It’s not that we don’t know what the fixes are, it’s how to implement them.”

The conversation stemmed from the tragic 2024 Bondi Junction incident, where a man living with untreated psychosis caused multiple deaths.

Dr Lim highlighted how jurisdictional differences between states, privacy laws, and fragmented communication make it difficult for professionals to share vital information.

“Each state is kind of its own jurisdiction, which creates a lot of problems in terms of the disjointedness of various systems,” he noted.

Her call to action is simple: “Less reports, more action. More money would be good too.”

Families and communities play a vital role

Beyond medical systems, Dr Lim believes strong relationships are the backbone of prevention.

“If we’re in a relationship with people, we’ll get to know them, and their warning signs when they’re not doing so well.”

He encourages families to speak up when they’re concerned.

“Health systems need to listen to families because families know their loved ones the best.”

Addressing housing insecurity, financial stress, and domestic violence is part of the bigger picture of improving mental health care in Australia.

The episode reminds us that social disconnection and stress often worsen mental health conditions.

“High-stress family environments can contribute to people getting unwell again,” Dr Lim explains.

Addressing housing insecurity, financial stress, and domestic violence is part of the bigger picture of improving mental health care in Australia.

Building a stronger future

The discussion doesn’t just spotlight what’s broken, it also points toward hope.

“Mental health issues touch everybody,” Dr Lim says.

“Awareness is growing — and that’s the first step toward real change.”

Listen to this episode of ‘She Wasn’t Born Yesterday’ in the player above.

If you or someone you know is struggling, support is available. Contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.

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