Ramsay Newsroom

The Deputy Medical Director at Ramsay Mental Health’s Northside Macarthur Clinic, Dr Mark Cross, said many Australians are struggling with extended lockdowns and more people are seeking professional help. 

“It’s ok to say we’re really missing our old lives. People are scared and on edge and facing chronic stress. It’s really hard to separate your own stress from the overwhelming stress of a global pandemic,” Dr Cross said. 

Ramsay Mental Health is Australia’s largest private provider of mental health care services. With 23 mental health clinics across the country, the team aims to provide the very best inpatient, day patient and outpatient care for those with acute mental health care needs. 

Inpatient programs are available for a range of mental health conditions including anxiety, depression, substance misuse, eating disorders, addiction, PTSD and trauma,  borderline personality disorder and psychosis. Ramsay Mental Health also cater for adolescent and young adult programs. 

“I don’t want people to see admission as a failure. An inpatient stay can be a great circuit breaker because you can come into a community where you can interact, participate in a program learning skills to manage your anxiety and other mental health symptoms, which can assist you to move forward. You can also currently go to the gym and do yoga with a mask on, and you can connect with people getting you back into a routine,” Dr Cross said. 

"It’s not a holiday, but it’s an opportunity to be proactive in managing your mental health and receive support and care so your symptoms do not get worse”. 

Dr Cross has suffered from anxiety since he was four years old which makes him uniquely placed when talking about anxiety. 

He’s recently celebrated the 12-month anniversary of his vodcast The Anxious Shrink, which airs live on Facebook live every Thursday night at 730pm. In its first year, The Anxious Shrink reached an audience of almost half a million people. 

“It’s a great community resource and we talk about COVID, that’s the big thing right now. We talk about the struggles of lockdown or quarantine, we recently had a yoga instructor come on to help with some breathing techniques and of course we add a little humour too - like what’s your most embarrassing moment in lockdown,” Dr Cross said. 

“It’s anxiety advice that won’t make you anxious. It’s very interactive, people can post comments in there and I have a lot of my patients from Northside Macarthur and Cremorne commenting on there too. It really is a great support for anyone. 

“It’s important that people also know they can always phone someone for help. Lifeline or Beyond Blue are fantastic,” he said. Dr Cross also sits on the board of SANE Australia, which deals with complex mental health issues. They offer moderated online forums 24/7.   

For more information visit ramsaymentalhealth.com.au. Catch up episodes of The Anxious Shrink are available on YouTube.