New South Wales is facing a mental-health emergency. Recent data from NSW Health reveals that 17% of adults in NSW report high psychological distress, while an estimated 200,000 adults aged 25-64 live with severe mental illness requiring care (Health NSW, 2024). Meanwhile, frontline services are buckling: workforce shortages are critically undermining response capacity, with a 29% shortfall in specialist staffing and thousands of people missing essential care (RANZCP, 2024).