Patient restraint should be 'eliminated' - Sydney Morning Herald

AAP

The National Mental Health Commission says governments need to reduce the involuntary hospitalisation of patients and eventually eliminate the use of seclusion and restraint in treatment.

The recommendation is one of 10 included in the commission's first annual report card to be released in Sydney on Tuesday.

The commission says that while Australia generally leads the world in progressive mental health policy it falls down in delivery.

In particular it recommends governments "reduce the use of involuntary practices and work to eliminate seclusion and restraint".

Seclusion involves someone being confined to a room they can't leave while restraint can refer to either straps and belts or chemical sedation.

Commissioner Janet Meagher has lived with schizophrenia since the early 1970s and previously been institutionalised.

She has experienced first hand being secluded and restrained.

"It's horrendous," Ms Meagher told ABC Radio on Tuesday.

"One of the most traumatic memories I have. It's a fairly common practice and it's humiliating, traumatic and very, very aggressive usually - and it's usually used as punishment."

Ms Meagher says if people suffering mental illness aren't on list of known clients it is extremely difficult to get timely and appropriate care.

Tuesday's report card recommends there should be a regular independent survey of people's experience and access to mental health services "to drive real improvement". The survey should occur at least every five years.

Commission chairman Allan Fels said on Tuesday it was important the federal and state governments kept the issue high on their agendas.

"The problems of mental health not being well treated in our policy system lead to impacts on suicide, on imprisonment, homelessness, employment, discrimination and so on," he told the Seven Network.

Prof Fels said there was still a lack of access to services for people with mental health problems and that was worst in rural and remote areas.

He said a few things were getting better but governments needed to give the issue much higher priority.

"One good thing is the prime minister's put it in her portfolio ... that shows it's important and it puts it in front of her, the premiers, the chief ministers.

"So if they give it priority then things will happen.

"If they take it off the Council of Australian Governments agenda then that's a bad sign of a lack of interest."