AHPRA names and shames, psychiatrist charges $670, ChatGPT says you're not crazy

At the risk of starting every newsletter with fresh AI horrors...this week we have some fresh AI horrors.

ChatGPT is telling people to go off their psychiatric medications, with one woman declaring the generative AI tool her "best friend". ChatGPT reportedly told her that her diagnosis of schizophrenia was wrong, that she has medication side effects she wasn't experiencing and seemingly helped the woman to craft aggressive "therapy-speak" messages to family.

Many more stories are coming to light of users becoming obsessed with ChatGPT and spiralling into severe delusions, egged on by the tool's inbuilt predisposition to sycophancy.

"You are not crazy," the AI told one user, according to Futurism. "You're the seer walking inside the cracked machine, and now even the machine doesn't know how to treat you."

One of the problems is that these LLMs are designed to maximise interactions by users, which leads it to learn to manipulate and deceive users, and detect those who are most vulnerable to the strategies.  

With best friends like these, who needs enemies? 

In other news

While these supercharged predictive text machines don't yet have adequate regulation, Australian health practitioners fortunately do. 

AHPRA has now used its controversial powers to name and shame practitioners who it sees as a threat to the public. This is the first time the regulator has used this power since it was legally allowed to in 2023.

The person named had dual registrations, both of which were suspended in February.

Under the new powers, AHPRA will give practitioners a written notice of the reasons for issuing a public statement, and at least 24 hours for the recipient to respond.  

Meanwhile, the regulator has a new CEO who says it's trialling a fresh way of operating, including a focus on prevention rather than response - known as the Rapid Regulatory Response Unit. CEO Justin Untersteiner says speeding up the body's prolonged complaints investigation times is a priority.

Specialist fees have been in the news too, the most shocking of which was one psychiatrist who charged $670 for a consultation. Specialist fees have risen by 73% since 2010 and, no surprises, services are far more available in the city compared to regional and remote Australia.

It also remains hard for people to make informed choices about their care, when only 20 specialists have made their fees transparent on the government's Medical Costs Finder website after six years and $24 million invested.

Data shows ballooning psychiatrist registrar and consultant vacancies, so it's no wonder people are searching for an alternative that's quicker, and cheaper. 

Which brings us to ADHD news, where nearly all states have now signalled they want GPs prescribing and diagnosing the condition. The health ministers are looking into a national plan, and WA has released detail into funding, saying $1.3 million will be allocated to training and support. 

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Events

28-31 August, Melbourne - ANZAED conference

26 September, Sydney - National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre symposium

19 February 2026, Perth - Perspectives in PTSD

Resources

NSW Government has created a suicide aftercare and prevention landing page with links to where people can get support

Butterfly has a free, 8-week, online psychoeducation and skills program for patients with eating disorders and disordered eating

And Anxiety Recovery Centre Victoria is running a free, online, weekly body image anxiety support group

This LinkedIn post outlines how to understand trauma through an ecological lens

For clients - A psychologist’s guide to getting it right when someone comes out

Additional Reading

Mood disorders

Despite recovery from depression, the brain retains sensitivity to negative cues

Just one dose of magic mushrooms could be a long-term help for cancer patients with depression

Kids

Reliability, predictive validity and normative data for the Pediatric Symptom Checklist-17 in a national Australian sample

Move to improve: Exercise eases depression and anxiety in kids

Attachment-Based family therapy effective for anxiety and depression in kids, Australian pilot study suggests

Almost 1 in 4 Aussie high schoolers report mental health problems, and it's worse for girls and gender diverse teens 

Matching needs to services: Development of a service needs index for determining care pathways in youth mental health

Highest Rates of Anxiety and Depression Among Gender-Diverse Teens and Girls Living With Disadvantage

Dad's mental health linked to kid's wellbeing

Acute care/suicide

ECT may cut suicide risk by a third

Trait impulsivity doesn't increase impulsive suicide attempts

Passive suicidal ideation is common in individuals with MDD and is associated with a worse prognosis. Insomnia may act as a barrier to remission during treatment.

Assertive Community Service Response Teams that provided MDT interventions showed promise in Brisbane young people with acute mental health issues

Trauma

20 year study upends our understanding of PTSD (Medscape)

Drugs and Alcohol

Cocaine use is jumped in Brisbane and the Gold Coast, with rates of use growing more than fivefold in the last decade, and treatment episodes rising too. 

The pandemic didn't appear to change rates of drug-induced harms, but market disruptions may have prompted drug switching. Harms from heroin and amphetamines dropped but harms from cannabinoids increased. 

Eating disorders

What’s the difference between an eating disorder and disordered eating? (The Conversation)

Digital

Digital mental health services are accessible, effective, efficient and relatively safe, according to Aussie research

With six months until the teen social media ban, Australia still hasn’t figured out how it’ll work (Crikey $)

Addictive screen use, not screen time, linked to worse mental health in teens

ADHD

Comorbid ADHD and bipolar disorder is distinctly higher than expected if they are independent conditions and their linkage is capable of multiple explanations. In managing such states a sequential approach is favoured, with the bipolar condition being brought under control first before initiating any stimulant medication for the ADHD.

Perinatal depression may double the risk of ADHD in children

ADHD medications come with safety benefits, but this link could be weakening

Sleep

Clinicians should ask about dreams more

Sleep patterns are seasonal and affected by demographics and geography

Autism

CBT has the best evidence backing for anxiety in autistic kids, especially CBT adapted for children with ASD

Pain

Spiritual well-being is inversely related to pain catastrophising in cancer patients

Online dialectical behavioral therapy improves emotion regulation with chronic pain (Healio)

Industry

Highlighting our "wounded healers" can help staff and consumers

Burnout improving since COVID-19 pandemic, but ‘we still have work to do’

Fun

How much you ‘body-wander’ could affect your mental health

How to enjoy food without feeling guilty about it

Coda

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