The essence of our failure to meet the needs of the "mental health services consumer" is that we do not value the patient. A chronically mentally-ill person has the same social status as a prisoner. We wish that these people were not there.

An excellent piece, Dr Morris. Suicide and unexpected death are an excellent way to illustrate the shortcomings of the system. More hidden, and harder to measure, are the lack of quality of life, including employment opportunities, attributable to lack of follow up care, admission refusals and adequate treatment. As an academic, I find it deplorable; as a carer, I find it heartbreaking. Some attention must also be given to the fact that no government, local, state or federal gives thought to policies any longer than the lead-time to the next election. Lack of care for young people with mental illness will cost a future government disability paymnets as a condition worsens. The cost to individuals and families is far harder to define.

This government does not have a 'surplus' - it has a lack of compassion and a lot of unpaid bills.

healthwatcher said "A chronically mentally-ill person has the same social status as a prisoner".

This is not correct, a prisoner is still assumed to be able to testify provided they no not have vested interest involved, whereas a person accused of being mentally ill is assumed to be delusional.

There is also a small epidemic of people the Mental Health Acts have been used against by their siblings, usually when a question of inheritance is involved. The victim is often shocked by discovery that our society allows a nurse or other person who has never talked with them to use the Mental Health Act to have the Police arrest and deliver them to mental ward orderlies until a doctor gets around to interview them. Having spent several days immobilised by sedatives, and caught between expressing or repressing their anger at being incarcerated by their siblings words, very few of these people can expect to see the light of day for years.

And for any person whether they had an illness or not, they dare not admit to having been incarcerated for fear of the social stigma of being labled delusional and having their sense of self-worth reduced to nil.

So I would say there is a crisis for both the mentally ill and the accused. Instead of relaying on the current system of informing the nearest "relation" who is commonly the person who unknown to the victim was asking for the Mental Health Act to be used, it would be nice for example, if the Mental Health Act entitled the people to make phone calls before being sedated.

As far as I know marriage is currently the only defense against this, because then your spouse is informed instead of your siblings who may have a vested inheritance interest to keep you incarcerated.

The article sees things from a medical model point of view. Note the words psychiatric and clinical popping up all the time.
What the author overlooks is the contribution of psychologists. If this was increased, much of the problem could be cared for.
The recent somewhat reluctant concession by doctors to allow psychologists limited ability (under medicos) to claim Medicare benefits is a case in point. From memory, more than 50,000 patient visits to psychologists eventuated within a few weeks of the scheme's announcement.
Psychologists study the mind for up to six years. How long has a psychiatry graduate spent? Maybe two years. Who gets the blessing of the system, and the business? The psychiatrist of course. I have nothing against them, but feel that my own profession of psychology has a contribution to make which is scarcely being tapped.
In conclusion I think that a major cause of the problem is definitional. A medically trained psychiatrist will diagnose an "illness". I would debate whether this is a useful term. The moment that you label something this way, you create a problem. Look at the label "depression" - which many, including myself, would see as usual and normal - describing what are the ups and downs of life

PROBLEM SOLVE HEATH: Thank You Phillip Morris for this article. I am totally alarmed by Abbort's flipant media call this morning re: Local Boards to run Hospitals.

There is so much TALK about HOSPITALS but NO analyses of the ROLE of ALma Ata and overall Civic Health.ie: The separation of the whole problem into its constituent parts for sustaining development in the long term.

I wrote three posts yesterday. Please Read.

http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/user.asp?id=20042&show=history

The problem in Cooktown-Cape York is;

a) POLITICAL PARTY POLITIC'S which is nasty and dirty at LOCAL LEVEL.(As it can be in spatial regional Communities).

Power status (Federal member loyalities) lean hard locally, (silo) leaderships block and smother innovation and inclusive attempts by a diverse community to evolve new add-on Alma Ata services. The "CAN'T" principal is a powerful stopper to local government and planning. Locals are exhausted + remain unrepresented. Worse they have NO RESOURCES to lobby for WHAT THEY WANT OR NEED.

b) Lack of information by LOCAL HEALTH STAFF. General Health staff appear to not understand the needs of Civic + Emotional Wellbeing in extentions to Primary Health or Mental Health Prevention. Given the local Advisory group is service driven, consumers are straining a) to be respectfully heard b) to get their agenda into the local health concerns.

c) I found local (visiting) Mental Health Doctor would support measures that help his consumers through Allied Health as other then their clients visits to the doctor, these clients have NO HUMAN SUPPORT in COMMUNITY. People in difficultly are isolated, trapped in a social drift that needs a multi-pronged cultural approach. On top of this CANDOO NGO who trys to help is stck as with Consumer with transportation problems. We have no infrastructure out side general or crisis. Nothing supporting a clients "daily Life". Poor consumer engagement report card.

d) Local authorities though frustrated panda to Cairn Distrist power base. The dysfuntional relationship is the HEART of the problem. This is the one factor that has created the "local regional" silo which is deadly. See Cornors report 2008 re: Suicides in the north.

http://www.miacat.com/
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Psychiatrists or psychologists, it doesn't much matter; both are inclined to miss the underlying problem that can be causing the mental illness. That is, that the food we eat, and the nutrients we absorb from that food, affect how the brain functions. Today's epidemic of mental illness stems as much from our nutrient deficient and chemical laden diets as it does from the increased pace and pressure of modern living. You only have to become mentally unhinged yourself and restore yourself to good health solely through changing what you eat, to realize the power of this very obvious but poorly understood connection.