Psychiatric patients 'outcasts’

Press, 25 September 1987, Page 5

Psychiatric patients 'outcasts’

Psychiatric patients often appeared to be treated as outcasts by the community, said the chairman of the Committee of Inquiry into the care of certain classes of patients, Judge Kenneth Mason, in Christchurch said yesterday. During the last week, the committee has been based at Sunnyside Hospital hearing submissions on the procedures used in psychiatric hospitals for the admission, discharge, or release on leave of certain classes of patients detained under the Criminal Justice Act or admitted and discharged under the Mental Health Act.

Judge Mason, Dr Alison Ryan, and Dr Henry Bennett are visiting psychiatric hospitals throughout New Zealand during their detailed examination of the law governing the procedures.

During the committee's visit to Canterbury it has met staff and workers at Sunnyside, visited Paparua Prison, and held discussions with members of A

the ’Canterbury Hospital Board.

Many of the submissions focused on the question of community care, Judge Mason said.

“This area is one of several major public concerns. It is an area where the public see themselves as being directly involved — an area which involves care in the community rather than by the community. One of the important messages that we have to get across is that many psychiatric patients are not suffering from an incurable disease.

"They are often seen and treated as outcasts. This is a great pity. Most New Zealand families will have a member who will suffer from psychiatric illness of some sort, but New Zealanders have a lot of catching up to do in their attitudes.” The news media had an important role to play in educating the public about the true nature of mental illness. At present the news media tended to highlight the bizarre and dangerous “but the people

who fall into that category represent only a small proportion of psychiatric patients,” Judge Mason said.

The committee had heard differing views on where prison inmates suf-

fering from mental illnesses should be treated. While some representatives of the prison service believed they should be dealt with by the health services, psychiatric health workers

often said that treatment should be given within the prison. "We have also received a number.of enlightened views from within the prison and psychiatric services. It is now a question of resolving this dilemma in a practial way,” Judge Mason said. A Committee of Inquiry could not express "decided views” while sitting but he believed that a "package deal” could be examined as a possible solution. -> ’■

“What has been suggested to us is the establishment of a number of safe-care units allied withy ■ t

small medium-care units under the general aegis of a specialised forensic psychiatric authority. This would require training for

psychiatric staff who want to be involved in forensic psychiatry.

“This raises the question of whether these units should be based in prisons or hospitals or established alone. It is a question that has to be studied by the committee.”

Forensic psychiatry was a neglected field in, New Zealand. While Sunnyside Hospital had established forensic psychiatric "services, only two . forensic psychiatrists were , employed by the Justice Department, Judge Mason said. The Committee of Inquiry was asked to report back, to the Government by the end of the year, but its field work might •not be completed - until late November.

"It looks as if we will .need a little more time to complete our findings,",' Judge Mason said. *.•