Call for changes to way patients are handled

Press, 23 November 1987, Page 3

Call for changes to way patients are handled

Wellington reporter

Sweeping changes to the way psychiatric patients are handled by the hospital system have been recommended by the Mental Health Foundation.

It has told the Committee of Inquiry into psychiatric procedures that advocating long stays in hospital for psychiatric patients is an inappropriate response to crimes committed by a very small minority of discharged patients. The real issue was the appalling state of community mental health services, said the foundation’s deputy director, Dr Hilary Haines. She said the average discharged psychiatric

patient was no more likely to commit a crime than the average citizen. A minority of former patients would commit offences; the trouble was clinicians were unable to predict which ones. It would be unrealistic and an infringement of basic human rights to confine poeple in hospital because of a mere suspicion that they might commit a . crime some time. Good systems of community care could de-

crease the possibility of crimes such as that at Papillon, Auckland, which had given rise to the inquiry, Dr Haines said. Incidents such as the Papillon murders were very rare and would no doubt always occur from time to time even with the best provisions for mental health care. To make such incidents less likely there needed to be good community support for discharged patients. Crisis services ' that could respond rapidly

were also needed so that where trouble was brewing it could be defused. Auckland, the Waikato and Wellington seemed particularly short of such services, given the number of discharged patients in those regions, she said. But the shortage was national — with a lack of adequate crisis services, stretched outpatient and psychiatric district nursing services, poor provision for housing, and a lack of activities and employment programmes.

There was a high degree of frustration among people trying to initiate the services needed, Dr Haines said. Lack of funding for mental health services was the most important barrier to progress. She said the foundation recommended 24-hour crisis services and a wide range of sheltered housing, daytime activities, work programmes and treatment services to the community — backed by increased funding.