Mental health care needs improvements
Timothy Atkins, 32 and having a bi-polar psychiatric episode, was held at the Epping hospital casualty department for 24 hours before he left and confronted police outside on a roadway.
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Having such an episode to be held in casualty is certainly not an ideal environment to hold someone in often an agitated psychiatric state at all.
The bloke was described by family as a "gentle giant" who acted out of character and clashed with police. But what the police did was far worse when they drove a police car into him, knocking him down and then an officer repeatedly stomping on his head when he lay on the ground.
For that matter, just how many years or decades has it been going on? There is a gross shortage of psychiatric hospital bed space.
Presently there is a Royal Commission in Victoria into mental health and the findings are expected to be brought down soon.
With psychiatric services, then when patients have episodes or tragedy may strike, then we may ask: What about the faceless people - the case managers and so on - who are supposed to be looking after their patients and monitoring them?
When deinstitutionalisation was carried out things were put in place we thought, but in a lot of cases it hasn't been happening enough.
We've ended up with a system failure, not a patient failure at all.
Bob Doolan, Kangaroo Flat
Older people supportive of Daniel Andrews
Premier Daniel Andrews's hardline approach against the Coronavirus enjoys remarkably strong support among the aged.
This demographic views rolling lockdowns and self-isolation directives as the best way of prolonging their lives.
Which is why they religiously use face masks when outside their homes and why so many have been prepared to be imprisoned in their homes for the past few months.
Many older Australians view younger members of society as a very real threat to their lives because of their lack of discipline in this area.
A viewpoint supported by many medical experts, internationally.
Michael Gamble, Belmont
Premier needs better advisors
Our Premier has some real gems working for him. First, he was advised that the East West link contract was not worth the paper it was written on, costing us $1.3 billion.
Now his Cabinet Secretary cannot remember if he passed and assistance message on from the Australian Defence Force.
Very convenient.
Ken Preston, Strathdale
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