Calls for greater awareness on stalking

Threats to public figures such as MPs and doctors by stalkers with grievances were a serious concern and posed a broader community risk, a leading forensic psychiatrist says.

Dr Michele Pathe, who played a key role in setting up the Queensland Fixated Threat Assessment Centre (QFTAC), says grieved individuals with a fixation on high profile figures and doctors is a serious concern and greater national awareness on the issue is needed.

Speaking at the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaestheitists (ANZCA) conference in Brisbane, Dr Pathe told physicians that most mass shootings "started with a grievance".

""There is a high prevalence of untreated, or inadequately treated, mental health disorders in this group with up to a third having no prior contact with mental health services," Dr Pathe said.

"While we are picking up many of these fixated threats to public office holders and MPs, the reality is they can pose a broader community risk."