March to de-stigmatise mental health

"If you're angry, you're not mad" declared a banner at a march and rally of 120 supporters of the rights of the mentally ill on October 14. The action was part of the local Mental Health Week activities and was organised by the Association of the Relatives and Friends of the Mentally Ill.

The rally heard several speakers and entertainers. Professor Trevor Waring, the principal clinical psychologist with the Hunter Area Health Service, called for 52 weeks of mental health, not just one, and condemned a deplorable new advertisement for a hair-care product that depicts a woman in a straightjacket exclaiming, "Don't be a head case". He pointed out that the issue of mental health and the stigma attached to it was a human rights issue.

Sharon Grierson, the ALP federal member for Newcastle, said the federal allocation of $1.9 billion for mental health services was only half the amount recommended by the Senate committee, and half of the actual allocation goes to medications. Firsthand evidence was presented by those living with a mental illness. A common theme was survival, but with very limited assistance from the government.

From GLW issue 687