The Old Tin Shed

Was reading through news.com.au today and stumbled across this article Click here . This happened in my town, in the mental health system that is supposed to be looking after me also.  How damn bad have things got to get before we do something about the underlying reasons for this happening.  Its not a doctors decision that was incorrect but his need to have free beds in the unit. The unit is under immense pressure to provide services and it realistically is only half the size it should be.  When someone comes in sick they should be placed in a bed for at least 24 hours so that they can be monitored not thrown back into the community. The Australian Governments track record on mental health is nothing short of appalling, even NZ our smaller neighbor spends more than we do.  We are just damn lucky this man didn't kill someone. Shame Australia Shame, you bitch and moan about your tax burden so you force government to give you tax breaks.  That has to come...

I for one am a heavy user of prescription medications, 6 years ago I was diagnosed with a serious medical condition.  It means I take 7 different medications daily and it will be that way for the rest of my life.  On top of that have two other medications that I take on an as needed basis. Up until I became ill I hated medications hated even taking antibiotics, even then I wouldn't take the whole course (yes I know that's a bad thing to do).  The medications I take are expensive, and if it wasn't for the PBS scheme I would not be able to afford them.  One medication is over $250.00 a packet.  I go through one of those every 10 days.  Now there is a frightening cost. Anyway what i wanted to talk about was medication addiction.  I have an addiction to one of my medications that means that I must take that daily regardless of if I would need it.  Now this isn't a bad thing, and my doctor has said he would prefer this situation than me not havin...

Interesting news was provided during the news cycle today about suicide in Australia, until the age of 36 years for males it is the highest cause of death.  Australia's record on this issue is simply appalling. Those who know me personally will understand that I have a unique view on how poorly the mental health services work.  Its a national tragedy that so many Australians will take their own lives this year.  Is there an answer? That I don't know, but falling real dollar spends on mental health issues cannot be helping things. I await with baited breath the response from the Federal and State governments, but as in the past I expect very little to change.  To all who have been afflicted with mental illness and for those families who have lost a loved one to suicide, surely we owe it to other families and other at risk lives to put pressure on those who could make a difference. The Horse