Hurt in hospital, Casualties in the community: Election issues by and for consumers and survivors of mental health services

By VMIAC (Victorian Mental Illness Awareness Council)          [Download Resource]

‘WHY WE RE SPEAKING UP

Things are getting worse, not better.
Mental health is always in the media. Governments talking about what a great job they’re doing. Health services and psychiatrists talking about their innovative research and programs. But we’re the peak body that represents the most silenced, distressed and marginalised people affected by mental health problems. And our community is saying loud and clear that governments are not listening, services are not helping, and things are getting worse, not better.

People in power are not listening.
Governments and the mental health sector consult with us a lot. But they’re not responding to what we say. It’s not good enough to invite us onto a committee if our suggestions and issues are ignored. None of the issues we describe in this paper are new. Each of them destroys lives. We’ve launched this campaign to bring the focus back to what matters most: people are being hurt and people are not being helped’

Key Content Areas:

• Overview
• Hurt in hospital
• Sexual violence in hospitals
• Causalities in the community
• Getting involved

For too long, governments and the community have listened to the mental health sector, or carers and families, about what we need. Of course, they have a right to speak up. 

But we can speak for ourselves—we don’t want, or need, others to speak on our behalf. And we have something different to say. 

Our basic needs are not being met. Thousands of us are harmed in devastating ways every year—and it’s not getting better.