The number of publicly employed psychiatrists in our mental health system is dwindling

Newstalk ZB can reveal the headcount of psychiatrists employed by Health New Zealand dropped from 518 to 497, between September 2022 and September 2024.

College of Psychiatrists National Committee Chair Hiran Thabrew says job dissatisfaction's widespread among psychiatrists - who face burnout, unsustainable workloads and insufficient pay.

He says people experiencing mental health crises cannot be given enough help or the right help in a system that's always operating at crisis point itself.