April 26, 2013
Benarkin mother Betty Day today presented Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington with a petition containing 1233 signatures seeking support for better mental health services in Queensland.
Mrs Day, whose son Martin has bipolar disorder, has been advocating on behalf of people with a mental illness for more than 10 years but she believes still not enough is being done by the State Government to help.
Her petition calls on the government to improve access to therapeutic counselling for people when they are first diagnosed with a mental illness and the establishment of specialised residential programs for long-term sufferers.
Mrs Day began collecting signatures on March 18.
She said there were more than 103,000 sufferers of mental illness in Queensland.
“In too many cases, a mental illness such as clinical depression and addictions become a combined disorder when the sufferer does not get enough help at the onset of the illness,” Mrs Day said.
“They then become long-term sufferers who turn to bad habits and substance abuse as a form of self-medication.
“These people often give up hope of ever becoming well again.”
Mrs Day said a lot of money had been directed at mental health issues over the years but “it is definitely not reaching the areas of the most need”.
“The number one thing needed at the onset of a diagnosed mental illness is readily available, ongoing therapeutic counselling that offers encouragement, praise and support.
“When in the frequent depths of depression, easy access to cognitive behavioural therapy is necessary.”
Mrs Day is still collection signatures for her petition; she plans to have copies available to sign at tomorrow’s Blackbutt Show.
