Administration manager with ERMHA Jane Boldiston, Victorian Democrats Senator Lyn Allison, CEO of ERMHA Peter Water and Outreach team leader Deirdre Byrne.By Rebecca Fraser
HOW to help those with mental illness break down the barriers preventing them from living a normal life was a key point of discussion this week at the Eastern Regions Mental Health Association (ERMHA) in Dandenong.
Victorian Democrats’ Senator Lyn Allison, chair of the senate committee inquiry into Australia’s mental health issues, visited the service on Tuesday and enjoyed an open and frank conversation with ERMHA CEO Peter Waters about Greater Dandenong’s mental health issues.
She said she was touring Australia meeting with different mental health services to evaluate the ideas, innovations and issues associated with mental illness.
Ms Allison said 500 submissions had been submitted to the inquiry with 150 from Victoria.
Tuesday’s visit was organised after ERMHA’s outreach team leader Deirdre Byrne contacted Ms Allison and invited her to see what they do.
“It has been really good to get a grasp of how things work on the ground and see how certain programs are proving successful and how the lives of people with mental illnesses can be made better,” Ms Allison said.
Mr Waters took the opportunity to discuss the stigma those with mental illness continued to face and the importance of providing meaningful activity to the service’s clients.
“Stigma causes denial and stigma is one of the largest demons we fight in the community.” Mr Waters said.
“There are very few illnesses in this world that one in five people experience and mental illness is, in fact, a very mainstream and normal activity.
“I do not know how many times people with schizophrenia are called schizophrenic but we do not go around calling people with cancer carcinogenics,” he said.
Mr Waters said community education was critical as was demystifying and dispelling the myths about mental illness.
“Mental illness is not warm, fuzzy or pretty and that is why people shy away from it.
“But mental illness ought not be something the community should be afraid of it is here to stay so people need to get over it and accept it.
“Through many people’s informative years they have been taught to be fearful of ‘mad’ people and people with mental illnesses.
“Then what happens is people start to feel symptoms and they go into denial because they are scared,” he said.
Mr Waters also spoke of the mental health system and said it was very hard to escape once you were inside.
“The mental health system is like an octopus with lots of tentacles. Once you are caught by one it is hard to get out,” he said.
He also spoke of the pressures and highdemand mental health services and the public health system were facing with Senator Allison.
“(When) someone comes into the health system that is acutely unwell they may be stabilised in a very short time and then pushed back out into the community.
“There is so much pressure for that bed but then they come back and are readmitted.
“At the moment the system just revolves people around and around like a selfperpetuating hole in the bucket
“We need to work to develop a system where there is a capacity to hold these people inside the community instead,” he said.
Ms Allison said the senate committee was halfway through the inquiry with the final report expected next March.
