The Federal Government has appointed a leading psychiatrist to take on a new role overseeing the nation’s mental health in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Former Victorian chief psychiatrist Associate Professor Ruth Vine has been appointed the country’s first Deputy Chief Medical Officer for mental health.

Her role will be to listen to community concerns and provide advice to the Government, with a focus on anxiety linked to social distancing and economic stress.

The move follows the release of government commissioned modelling, published last week, that predicted a 50% rise in suicides, due to the distress of the economic shutdown and social distancing.