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Mental health, poverty and life expectancy

By Tristan Ewins - posted Monday, 12 October 2015


many people with mental illness are unable to afford stable housing or make their own housing choices, and frequently have problems accessing appropriate housing and difficulty maintaining tenancies because of disruptions caused by their illness.

New Turnbull Government Health Minister Susan Ley says there are "no easy fixes" and that the system must "[catch] people before they fall." ("The Age", 5/10/15) This implies some insight as to what people actually go through. Though while early intervention is crucial in preventing such suffering few can really conceive of, healing for the afflicted is just as necessary. Expecting people to just "pull themselves together" demonstrates an appalling lack of empathy, understanding and humanity. So if Minister Ley is serious she must decisively reject the disgraceful stigmatization and vilification of Disability Pensioners conducted by the Murdoch Press, and by some elements in her own party.

We are yet to see whether or not there will be a decisive change of direction under the new Turnbull leadership. Resolve to achieve the following will comprise the degree to which we can judge the extent to which the Turnbull Government is meaningfully addressing the crisis:

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  • Increase the Disability Support Pension by at least $35/week indexed. To begin, this might make it possible to run a vehicle and to eat better quality food ; Improve support for Carers as well
  • Implement anti-discrimination legislation and provide positive incentives for employers to offer flexible work
  • Provide much more generous means-testing of Disability Pensioners – especially the mentally ill, slowing the rate at which the Pension is withdrawn ; and make it easy for those affected to immediately re-access the pension even if they had found full-time work – but relapsed into illness
  • Provide comprehensive Medicare Dental and Optical – ideally on a universal basis – but if this is not possible under the current government, then at least offer it to those in poverty, including those on welfare
  • Provide access to 'physical health case managers' – who assist in improving the physical health of the mentally ill – a dimension which is commonly neglected by mental health professionals
  • Provide funding so the mentally ill can actually act on such advice: subsidised access to health and fitness facilities, gear and services.
  • Condemn any stigmatisation or vilification of the mentally ill in the media, including the Murdoch tabloids
  • Subsidise internet access to help maintain social-connectedness
  • Promote social-connectedness for inpatients as well by enabling access to internet and social media where viable
  • Increase social expenditure on mental health to make it reflect its proportion of "the country's health burden"; ie: raise it from 7 per cent to 14per cent of the Health Budget ; but achieve this by increasing the investment; and not through cuts elsewhere
  • Finally follow through on the demand by 'Australians for Mental Health': for "improved access to mental health services, clear pathways for treatment and support, more early intervention and prevention services, and service integration"

Again the mentally ill are not 'having us on' when some of them can expect to die on average 25 years earlier than the general population. We have to hope that the new Turnbull Government will mark a shift in attitude. But what is actually necessary is an increase in funding for programs assisting the mentally ill. (as considered in the dot points above) We must judge all the political parties and independents on the basis of action and not just words.

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About the Author

Tristan Ewins has a PhD and is a freelance writer, qualified teacher and social commentator based in Melbourne, Australia. He is also a long-time member of the Socialist Left of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). He blogs at Left Focus, ALP Socialist Left Forum and the Movement for a Democratic Mixed Economy.
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