Mental Julia

[Rorschach]

Just another broken promise to a fan...

Anger over Gillard's reponse to mental health
Lanai Scarr
News Limited Network
May 04, 2013 12:00AM

MENTAL health advocates have slammed the government for apparently abandoning its commitment to the sector in favour of a National Disability Insurance Scheme.

Former Australian of the Year Patrick McGorry and former chair of the government's mental health advisory council John Mendoza said Labor had not given sufficient attention to mental health despite promising it would be a key second-term priority.

They said while disability care, and an NDIS, was vitally important, so too was mental health given it impacted millions each year and more should be done to support sufferers in the longer-term.

"I do think it's a positive thing that people with disability are being looked after but it is amazing the kind of commitment generated to this which affects around 400,000 people and yet mental illness and mental ill-health affects around 4 million people every year,'' Professor McGorry told News Limited.

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/national-news/an ... z2SHB9nV3o" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[mantra]

Mental health is supposed to be a state issue. Howard admittedly bought in free visits to psychologists, but as one in every 4 people appears to have a mental health issue - the cost was unsustainable.

We need to bring back mental institutions. There are something like 300,000 homeless people with serious mental health issues wandering around trying to fend for themselves. It would clean the streets up and give them a place to sleep.

[AiA in Atlanta]

Agreed. Getting rid of mental hospitals was seen to be a good thing but it hasn't been at all: the mentally ill are either in jail or on the streets.

[IQS.RLOW]

Another one of those 'things that were good in hindsight' that was decided with a myriad of bleeding hearts complaining about 'incarceration' so the bleeding hearts got what they wished for.

On the other hand, it would be easy to poll the Greens and rusted on ALP voters and keep them contained if they did bring institutions back.

[AiA in Atlanta]

On the commuter train here in ATL this morning I saw a man asking for food or spare change in the train car which is against the law. I'd seen him before asking the same thing and knew he wasn't right in the head. The woman sitting near me took pity on him and dug into a bag and gave him a sandwich in addition to the banana someone else had already given him. I could see it was all the food she had and she gave this man her entire lunch. I had had a conversation with the woman who gave him the sandwich some weeks back and knew that she ran a charity for people coming out of prison who need help. When the beggar man reaches the end of the train car a crazy looking woman (black, all black, this is ATL by the way) gets the idea she will do the same thing and starts begging. I watch them as they pass each other and wonder if they will ask each other for food or change but know they won't because beggars are the least charitable people on the planet and blacks are seldom charitable to each other. So the crazy woman makes her way to the woman who just gave away her lunch but all she has left is her business card and a pamphlet and explains to the crazy beggar woman that her phone number is on the card and she would be happy to help her if she would only call. The beggar woman looks at the card and say arrogantly, "I don't want that." It pissed me off. All sympathy disappeared. I wanted to kick her black ass off the train. But before you think me uncharitable I want you to know I often give money to those who look like they need it but this woman ...

[mantra]

Many of our homeless have no fixed address or bank account and are not eligible for social security - so therefore no cash. Yes they can appear repulsive, but who wouldn't if your only means of survival was begging and scrounging, not showering nor changing their clothes regularly.

Charities can't keep up anymore and as the population grows, so does the number of homeless. Few people really care.

So the crazy woman makes her way to the woman who just gave away her lunch but all she has left is her business card and a pamphlet and explains to the crazy beggar woman that her phone number is on the card and she would be happy to help her if she would only call.

Accessing a phone to make the call might be an insurmountable problem. It would be hard to be polite all the time if you were begging. There would be hundreds of rejections before someone actually gave them something.

[AiA in Atlanta]

I'm just ranting. It bothered me to see this charitable woman first give away her entire lunch then get spat on by the next beggar.

[Rorschach]

Mental health is supposed to be a state issue. Howard admittedly bought in free visits to psychologists, but as one in every 4 people appears to have a mental health issue - the cost was unsustainable.

We need to bring back mental institutions. There are something like 300,000 homeless people with serious mental health issues wandering around trying to fend for themselves. It would clean the streets up and give them a place to sleep.

I'm sorry didn't you read the article or are you just ignoring it and commenting without knowledge.

[Neferti]

Mental health is supposed to be a state issue. Howard admittedly bought in free visits to psychologists, but as one in every 4 people appears to have a mental health issue - the cost was unsustainable.

We need to bring back mental institutions. There are something like 300,000 homeless people with serious mental health issues wandering around trying to fend for themselves. It would clean the streets up and give them a place to sleep.

I tend to agree with Mantra on this too.

These days I think they "house" people with real mental issues in Gaols for minor offences, rather than deal with the real problem. So they are incarcerated but those with mental health problems are not necessarily criminals until they go berserk.

Going all PC about people with mental health problems, and letting them fend for themselves, was the worst thing any Government could do. However, who would want to be in charge of a Mental Health Facility these days? What Government would be brave enough to bring it back ....... unless a large group of Mothers who have mentally ill children get together and fight to get Public Health Facilities back. It would take a hell of a lot of sacrifice on the parents' part but .... maybe not in the long run. I don't know anyone, personally, with a "mental" illness just a few who consistently take their meds ... unlike some on this Forum.

[Rorschach]

Mental health is supposed to be a state issue. Howard admittedly bought in free visits to psychologists, but as one in every 4 people appears to have a mental health issue - the cost was unsustainable.

We need to bring back mental institutions. There are something like 300,000 homeless people with serious mental health issues wandering around trying to fend for themselves. It would clean the streets up and give them a place to sleep.

I tend to agree with Mantra on this too.

These days I think they "house" people with real mental issues in Gaols for minor offences, rather than deal with the real problem. So they are incarcerated but those with mental health problems are not necessarily criminals until they go berserk.

Going all PC about people with mental health problems, and letting them fend for themselves, was the worst thing any Government could do. However, who would want to be in charge of a Mental Health Facility these days? What Government would be brave enough to bring it back ....... unless a large group of Mothers who have mentally ill children get together and fight to get Public Health Facilities back. It would take a hell of a lot of sacrifice on the parents' part but .... maybe not in the long run. I don't know anyone, personally, with a "mental" illness just a few who consistently take their meds ... unlike some on this Forum.

I'm sorry Nef I don't care what her biased points are or her off topic points, I'm interested in her addressing the facts of the article.