Surviving the Heart of Darkness: reflections on the experience of psychiatrists working in public mental health services in Australia

Abstract

Objective: We reflect upon the bleak experiential landscape of psychiatrists working in underfunded, under-resourced and demoralised public mental health services through the metaphorical narrative of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. Conclusion: It remains difficult to navigate through the Heart of Darkness. We suggest some navigable markers that may stave off metaphorical running aground.