This year’s dual winner of the Australian Mental Health Prize believes mental illness can be cured.

Groundbreaking psychiatrist Professor Gavin Andrews has dedicated 60 years to his profession.

He’s responsible for establishing the National Survey of Mental Health and his work has revolutionised how mental illness is treated.

Professor Andrews tells Ray Hadley he believes full recovery is possible.

“Mental disorders for many people are no longer the sentence they once were.

“I think there are real, total cures.

“We did a long-term follow-up on people we’d treated and numbers of people said, ‘look, it’s not part of my life anymore’.”

Professor Andrews says we’ve come a long way as a community but warns there’s still more to be done.

“It takes time to change things,” he says. “Stigma and bias is there.”

Click PLAY below to hear the full interview with Professor Gavin Andrews

Ray has praised the renowned psychiatrist for his hard work.

“You’ve done a great job, Professor. I know that we’re talking about six decades of dedication, that’s a lifetime.

“But by gee, you’ve achieved a lot.”

Image: UNSW