The Illawarra Mercury is not the place for anonymous people to say inaccurate and stigmatising words about people who may be experiencing the distress of mental ill health.
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A dispute over the Memorandum of Understanding Mental Health Emergency Response (2007) between NSW Health, NSW Police and NSW Ambulance has resulted in an anonymous senior police officer making the stigmatising claim that mental health patients can be and are very violent (Mercury, August 15).
The media has a responsibility in the way it reports about mental health and suicide, and it has a responsibility to provide balance. Too often in the media becomes sensational. So it important for people with lived experience, like myself, to have a right of reply.
It is unfortunate that people with lived experience were not interviewed about their ‘‘care’’ under the Memorandum.
Many people with experience of involuntary hospitalisation have experienced traumatic, coercive, violent and restrictive physical and chemical restraint and seclusion in dealing with the first responders to our distress.
Some find the pathway to care, via the emergency department, one that is confusing, distressing, alienating and intolerable.
We are afraid because of what has happened to us in the past.
We have reasons to run from you. There are better places for us to heal.
We can say these things and put our names to our words.
Tim Heffernan, Balgownie
Who among us is not extremely concerned about the lack of direction in the economic affairs of our nation?
The Illawarra Mercury, to its great credit, has exposed and vividly highlighted the anguish of our region in regards to the fate of BlueScope Steel. The Port Kembla steelworks is in peril, because of the complete lack of economic ‘‘creativity’’ of our federal governments over the last 32 years.
To give BlueScope the means to survive, all steel imports and exports have to be controlled. As well, tariffs should be mandatory.
The Commonwealth government already has all the power it needs to in effect ‘‘police’’ and control dumping etc. The resolution of this steel crisis resides in Canberra.
Rex Connor, Wollongong
OK council, where to now that Lamerton House has failed to sell? Gee, there must be something else we can sell belonging to the ratepayers – more pie in the sky. Enough, listen to your ratepayers. No Hub.
Peter Tornaros, Oak Flats
On July 20, California became the first state in the US to introduce hydrogen-fuelled vehicles – zero pollution – as a transportation alternative to those powered by fossil fuels.
I guess this leaves OPEC countries frustrated and on sheiky ground.
John Macleod, Berry
Re the bombing in Thailand. What a terrible state of affairs, we have no control over who and where these ‘‘animals’’ will strike next on the innocent and unsuspecting.
Something decisive needs to be done ... and I mean decisive, so we as a society can go about our daily lives and not feel threatened by some low-life intent on killing innocent people.
T Dunn, West Wollongong
