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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?

Hi Appleblossom, yes, it angers me when minors are treated badly too. Minors with psychiatric problems are treated brutally in this country - it is very wrong.

OK, I know I'm being a bit contrary but, again, how does one 'work with the system, rather than against it'? Do you mean accept the violenc and abuse without complaint? The system is driving a lot of people to despair and needs to be changed immediately - it represents nothing less than severe persecution of people with disabilities.

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?

@Terry

I am pretty vulnerable atm and not at all interested in argument .. only discussion ... I sensed the contrariness in you but also the motivation to post and reply to ... this extremely important issue.. which others had bypassed ...

If I thought a paper would make a difference I would research and construct an argument .. in time

A couple of years ago I sat at a memorial with a woman who had been experimented on with psychiatric drugs when she was a minor... in Melbourne ... hhmmm ..... I have stories and stories .. not just about me ...

I dont know enough about the current system to say a lot .. part of my reason to join the forums is to find out what others are experiencing and thinking ...tell my story and get support for myself.

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?

Appleblossom, you seem like a nice person. Obviously, you do not have to read nor respond to my posts if you don't want. I'm sorry that I disagree with some of what you say and cannot understand what you are trying to say at other points in some of your posts. I do think it incumbent on people with mental illnesses to get informed aobut their situation in order to fight for their rights.

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 see we can both agree that people ought be responsible. I suspect I am better informed about MI than you think .. but the question of rights is new to me personally and that I am researching .. my posting is part of that process.

I am also reading many other things atm. My full access to computers etc has been delayed ... long story

Best not argue .. some call it feeding the trolls .. I noticed you slam in on the thread with less than productive comments but I also wanted to acknowledge the legitimacy of your anger ... sorry I cannot fix it.

we are actually on the same side.. I will dodge any undue argumentativeness tho .. self protection .. I have endured enough.

If you are prepared to tease out issues rather than vent .. it would be great .. its an open thread for all to read and contribute to.

1) Peer to peer . is one good direction but it has to be real

2) Mandatory MH training for GPs

Lets n ot lose the good stuff amidst the chaff.

I was disappointed it had been let slide ...

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?

Appleblossom, maybe we should not 'post to each other' anymore. I don't understand a lot of what you are trying to say and you appear to be telling me not to disagree with you ('argue' with you). The discussion seems to be going nowhere. I don't think i'm a troll and no-one has yet disputed the accuracy of my comments, which are based on research and experience and which I stand by. There doesn't seem to be any point in saying that the truth isn't true, and I gather that you had not even realised that under the mental health act you have fewer rights than a criminal. I am old and have processed a lot of what I have been through and learned to articulate my situation. I would advise all people with mental illnesses to do the same so that we might have some hope of gaining human rights and maybe even justice for what the mental health system has put us through in this life.

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?

Terry-

Im really sorry for what you have experienced and admire your steadfastness,determination and sense of justice.

There are some people working in the mental health sector who are gentle,caring,thoughtful and compassionate and that should be aknowledged.

At the same time however,aknowledging this should not lead to a "rose coloured glasses view" that the dignified treatment of people with mental illnesses is improving as this is not the case.

Certainly,in some hospitals,people with mental illness are treated with dignity and respect,but "nationwide" there are still great atrocities and they still happen on a regular basis.

Methods that can cause degradation,humiliation and low self esteem etc such as restraints,seclusion and intimidating or aggresive speech are still widely used and still used as a method to alleviate staff stress (patient behavoural control) and should not be used this way as it does not benefit patients clinically and can instead worsen their mental health "status" by causing additional PTSD due to these experiences.

In addition,women's modesty not being respected in some mental health wards is another unaddressed issue.

Im dismayed as much as you that there actually are no legal rights for patients with mental illness and only "ideals" or "guidelines" for how these patients should be treated in hospital.

Im also aware that abusive staff

(regardless whether they are working in a Psychiatric ward,as a Docs worker,or as a security guard in a Refugee Detention Centre )

do not change by "guidelines"or suggestions and feedback from patients.Often the only way these types of people change is by force (eg:threat of legal ramifications,criminal action or job loss).

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?

Thanks Ivana, and Appleblossom, i'm sorry - i think i was a bit rude to you in my last post. yes, the mental health system is not going to improve while people with mental illnesses have no rights under the mental health act. up until we get rights we are just going to have endless complaint systems where gross human rights violations are simply 'apologised for' by letter (this is an extremely inadequate response, obviously, and then the mental health system goes on to commit more acts of brutality against the patient in later hospitalisations and then you get another 'letter of apology' and so it goes on etc, etc - they make no promises that they will never brutalise one again, and of course, there are no repercussions for them because its all legal, if highly immoral), and there are occasional attempts to affect cultural shifts amongst the staff before they slip back to their bad old ways. It's very difficult to 'tie someone up politely' - it is, by definition, a violent act. People will pay for treating those afflicted with mental illness this way and/or history will judge them. The mental health system is currently not just traumatising - it is also crushing, and EXTREMELY hard to bounce back from, but we're tough.

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?

In addition,Terry,I think there should be made a new Mental Health Care Complaints Commision dedicated solely to addressing complaints surrounding mental health/psychiatric mistreatment as the HCCC (NSW) is inadequate for addressing matters relating to mental health and there is often no justice,repercussions or change.

The deciding panel should consist of people that have experiences with the mental health system in Australia as patients and not just involve health practitioners.

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?

Ivana, I think until involuntary detention, solitary confinement and tying people up are outlawed as 'health treatments' there is little point in having a complaints process at all. What's the point in complaining when the state has made gross human rights violations of people with certain disabilities legal? If it's legal for the 'doctors' and 'nurses' to torture us this way by law, what is the point in lodging a complaint about it? We need to be writing to human rights agencies and pollies to fight for our human rights. Anyway, as i have noted, the mental health system commits acts amounting to torture of its prisoners and then sends you a nice letter saying 'whoops, maybe we went too far' if you complain, and then they do it again and again anyway. Their apologies mean nothing, and are inadequate gestures in the first place, given the magnitude of the crimes they commit against us.

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?

This is a public forum and a generalist thread topic. There is no private messaging on this forum. I am aware that respect compassion or understanding is not always reciprocal. @Terry You are welcome to start new threads about personal and general topics.

Civil liberties discussion needs to be developed in this area. As a person who has also experienced significant abuse at the hands of the mentally ill .. I am somewhat aware of the range of points of view involved.

I personally have experienced multiple subjectivities with respect to relationships and the mentally ill... eg child, parent, sibling, spouse and friend.There are also staff safety considerations ..

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