I have a psychology background and my first novel has undertaken some small exploration into mental health issues in one of the protagonists. The novel that I am currently working on deals with families coping in the two speed economy that is the reality of life in a mining boom state. So it is likely that this one will also deal with mental health issues in some form or other. It's something I believe in strongly, the need for people to be provided with sufficient support to be able to get back on their feet. One in five people experience mental illness at some stage in their lives. That means just about every family is touched by it. For the pragmatic politicians out there, that is an awful lot of voters.
When assistance for mental health is reduced, everything else suffers - the rate of crime and incarceration goes up and this creates an increase in suffering which spreads out to affect a lot of people. The employment participation rate goes down. For those who only see things in economic terms, it also costs an awful lot of money, and expenditure that would be unnecessary if the health system was fixed first.
Those politicians who think only in terms of single issues, tied to short term economic gain or saving, and refuse to contemplate the broader ramifications of their decisions, are doing the country a disservice. Politics is a hard job, I suspect, but this one needs to be rethought. Surely.
Bravo Iris, this is an issue close to the heart of many of us. Thanks for putting it so well.
ReplyDeleteMental Health illnesses surely have to be the Cinderella of illnesses when it comes to getting financial support. People with mental health problems are largely, through no fault of their own, incapable of forming a strong lobby group which would enable them to lobby politicians for funding, because their very illness condemns them to silence.
ReplyDeleteLet’s take a look at one disease which gets reasonable funding: breast cancer. Now, not for one spilt- second do I begrudge the funding which breast cancer receives, but they receive adequate funding because their lobby groups are mainly comprised of middle-aged, articulate, sane women.
I guess what I’m trying to say, is that whoever makes the loudest noise gets the most funding.
People with mental health issues can barely make a whimper, so difficult is their struggle to keep themselves functioning and alive, to keep going from one day to another.
The mentally ill have no voice. Hence why I applaud writers, like you Iris, who give them a voice.
Thanks to you both for your input into this important issue. A strong, healthy, equitable and inclusive society creates the foundation for a healthy economy. That's why economic rationalism has failed in the past. Human beings come first.
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