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In which way do you suggest,Sane could help improve the treatment of Mentally Ill in Public Hospitals?

In which way do you suggest,Sane could help improve the treatment of Mentally Ill in Public Hospitals?

From my research,and things I have seen in the past,stigma is still very present from Hospital staff and/or Ambulance workers towards people with Mental Illnesses, particularly Hospitals in more suburban areas outside of the main cities.
They are still treated very poorly and spoken to disrespectfully, and bystanders will say nothing out of fear of retribution or fear of ridicule.
I don't think any of the recent attempts to end stigma has "touched" these Hospitals at all as they are oblivious that these anti stigma campaigns even exist.
For example,these staff members are more likely to watch forty on TV as opposed to watching Abc Mental As programme or the Q and A programme about depression etc.

What ideas do you have that Sane could do to help expose and address the stigmatising/discrimatory attitudes that still exists at these suburban Public Hospitals?

My idea is that Sane could create a detailed survey questionnaire that would ask people who have been patients of these hospitals to rate out of 1-5 how respectfully they were treated,what tone they were talked to,what their experience was etc...
But Sane should give these surveys out in the hospitals grounds and not just online so they could reach people's views who may otherwise not go online or have access to or cognitive ability to use the internet.

That way,organisations like Sane would have a greater idea into what problems still exist,and in what areas,and be able to create a plan to counter them because sometimes I feel the only people that are tuned into "anti stigma campaigns" are people that either have a mental illness,their families or people that already believe mentally ill shouldn't be stigmatised against,but the "perpertrators" themselves are actually tuned out,if this makes sense.

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In response to: In which way do you suggest,Sane could help improve the treatment of Mentally Ill in Public Hospitals?

Re: In which way do you suggest,Sane could help improve the treatment of Mentally Ill in Public Hospitals?

Yes, no legal rights. The state can effectively lock up any person with mental illness if they like when they like and throw away the key if they like.

In response to: In which way do you suggest,Sane could help improve the treatment of Mentally Ill in Public Hospitals?

Re: In which way do you suggest,Sane could help improve the treatment of Mentally Ill in Public Hospitals?

Distressed people need to be reached out to emotionally - everyone knows that and everyone needs that from time to time. Usually sitting with a distressed person and letting them talk and have a cry is sufficient until they calm down.

In response to: Re: In which way do you suggest,Sane could help improve the treatment of Mentally Ill in Public Hospitals?

Re: In which way do you suggest,Sane could help improve the treatment of Mentally Ill in Public Hospitals?

Hi Terry,


I’m sorry you’ve had such a rough time with the mental health system. I know you’re not alone in that. I’ve been reading back over this discussion and I can see that there’s huge variation in people’s experiences. I think you’re right in saying that distressed people need to be reached out to emotionally. It’s sad that it seems there’s not always the time or resources for that to happen in the Australian mental health system. Has this experience happened to you recently?

On the other hand, @Ellie 's posts gave me hope that at least in some hospitals people can get good treatment; and there are mechanisms for reporting unfair treatment. I wonder, has anyone lodged a complaint themselves? If so, how was the process?

In response to: In which way do you suggest,Sane could help improve the treatment of Mentally Ill in Public Hospitals?

Re: In which way do you suggest,Sane could help improve the treatment of Mentally Ill in Public Hospitals?

Terry, is it me you mean when you say "I'm sorry but your comments are highly offensive" and "Your attitudes are highly offensive" ??

If so, that was never my intention. I have great empathy for the suffering of others. If you really thought my comments were highly offensive, then I'd be truly shattered.

Ellie.

In response to: In which way do you suggest,Sane could help improve the treatment of Mentally Ill in Public Hospitals?

Re: In which way do you suggest,Sane could help improve the treatment of Mentally Ill in Public Hospitals?

Some of these comments by various mental health workers at this site are stunning - mental health workers justifying tying people up; mental health workers complaining that they have to be violent towards people in some circumstances. I hate to say it but you have to be in denial to be a mental health worker.

In response to: Re: In which way do you suggest,Sane could help improve the treatment of Mentally Ill in Public Hospitals?

Re: In which way do you suggest,Sane could help improve the treatment of Mentally Ill in Public Hospitals?

I have been strapped down with leather when I was 16 .. so its a long time ago.

I also witnessed my sister and others dealt with large amounts of force ... my exhusband often was triggered by the severity of his treatment at the hands of police and ambos.

I have also see a lot of calm, caring, considered treatment of the mentally ill

It is something we ALL still have to work on.

A new right I am claiming ... goes something like this ...

Now it is my turn to make generalisations etc ...

but I also am careful about apologising for overgeneralisations ... I am acutely aware of the way in which strongly voiced opinions (which include generalisations) by people in relative positions of power, can trigger others ... without intention to harm ...

Yes there is lots of work to do. Keep at it SANE

I was glad to read in the treatment fact sheet that SANE put psychological treatment before medication

Good Job SANE

In response to: Re: In which way do you suggest,Sane could help improve the treatment of Mentally Ill in Public Hospitals?

Re: In which way do you suggest,Sane could help improve the treatment of Mentally Ill in Public Hospitals?

Hi Appleblossom, nice to hear from you.

It's good that you have seen lots of calm, caring, considered treatment of people with mental illnesses. A lot of people working for the system do their best to be lenient and humane and caring. However, it is a violent and abusive system and this is clearly not an acceptable way to treat people with disabilities, in fact, it's very probably evil. Ultimately, attempts by people working for the system to be caring are not going to be enough to make up for the violence and abuse built in to the structure of the system.

As for your comment 'It is something that we ALL have to work on' - do you mean that people with mental illnesses have to work to make the system humane in tandem with psychiatric staff?

In response to: Re: In which way do you suggest,Sane could help improve the treatment of Mentally Ill in Public Hospitals?

Re: In which way do you suggest,Sane could help improve the treatment of Mentally Ill in Public Hospitals?

A system is what it is and a chain is only as strong as its weaker link ... etc ...

I do believe each person needs to take what responsibility they can in life, given their genuine ability and circumstances ...

Just my turn to say "all" in a vague way ... how do the carers know what help if we never tell them .. we might not always be able to say what we need .. but when we can .. it would be good to be listened to.

cheers @Terry hope you are travelling better ...

dont worry I can get on my high horse about things too ... but need to calm down to last the distance to do the woirk ...

In response to: Re: In which way do you suggest,Sane could help improve the treatment of Mentally Ill in Public Hospitals?

Re: In which way do you suggest,Sane could help improve the treatment of Mentally Ill in Public Hospitals?

Hi Appleblossom,

You basically sound like a very nice person but i'm having trouble following your line of argument. 'A chain is only as strong as its weakest link' - i'm not sure how that relates to the fact that the mental health system abuses and even tortures its prisoners.

As for carers - my only carers are/were my family, and they, having caused my mental illness with their abuse, have continued to be abusive to me all my adult life. I am my own carer. I cannot trust my family as they are quite happy to have me subjected to more violence and abuse by the mental health system. I rarely see them and am careful about what I tell them. I have no support, except for my friends, many of whom also have mental illnesses. I find that all 'support workers' talk down to me so I don't bother with them much, if at all.

I don't know if I am 'high horse' (high moral ground) but I am certainly angry about what I have been put through and my position in life and I'm sorry, but I can't quite understand what points you are trying to make. Cheers and all the best. Terry.

In response to: Re: In which way do you suggest,Sane could help improve the treatment of Mentally Ill in Public Hospitals?

Re: In which way do you suggest,Sane could help improve the treatment of Mentally Ill in Public Hospitals?

I think of posting as different from writing a formal structured essay or thesis. @Terry I could do that if necessary ... not sure whats best .. sometimes little comments or dialogues are better .. dont know.

I thought @ivana did good starting this thread and noticed it had lapsed until you came along to revive it.

I felt sad about your obviously bad experiences and you certainly dont need to apologise to me for your anger about your experiences. Perhaps you could say you are on moral high ground. I tried to share parts of my life story to address your position and some of the more optimistic posters on the thread.

Sometimes I get annoyed when the harsher realities are glossed over.

I am glad you responded so quickly you obviously care about the issue.

Yes, maybe it could be good to work together with, rather than against "the system". But I dont know you or presume to tell you what to do. I have been bossed around, abused and locked up, but that was by a different system... child welfare .. hmmm.

My most recent observations (Dec(2013) were of police being brought into deal with difficluties in a young adolescent unit .. so much hostility .. I could not intervene and did not know the lead up to it .. but it touched me .. not good for those poor kids.

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