Over 3,000 sign petition on mental health problems

Over 3,000 people came together to call for a national strategy that will address the employment struggles faced by people with mental health problems, among other things.

They voiced their concerns by signing a petition raised by the Richmond Foundation, an NGO that provides community mental health services.

The petition, that was presented to Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi earlier this month, called for employment support for people with mental health problems.

Parents of mental health patients have long complained of the gap in employment support for people like their children.

Last month, the Employment and Training Corporation said it planned to reactivate a joint employment support programme with Richmond that had to be stopped due to lack of funds. The programme would address the gap by providing work placements for people with mental health problems and following up their progress while at work.

The petition also called for people with mental health problems to be entitled to free medicines given by the state.

International studies show that about one in every 100 people suffer from schizophrenia, a disabling mental illness. Research indicates 6.6 per cent of Maltese nationals suffer from chronic depression and the figure is expected to rise. Yet, as things stand today, only schizophrenia sufferers receive free medication.

“This contributes to poverty in people with mental health problems. They have to buy the medicines they cannot live without. Paying for these medicines is harder for them because, due to their condition, they find it difficult to work or keep a well-paid job,” Dolores Gauci, CEO of Richmond Foundation, had said during the launch of the petition.

It is an open secret psychiat-rists sometimes “misdiagnose” patients of chronic conditions, such as depression, as suffering from schizophrenia so they can access free medication.

Earlier this month, consultants from different medical specialities admitted the practice of purpose misdiagnosis was somewhat widespread.

Faced with this, the Health Ministry said it would be proposing to expand entitlement for free medicines to “put right” this situation.

The petition pointed out that 25 per cent of the European population, including Malta, were at risk of experiencing mental health problems at any point in their life. For this reason, Malta should have a national strategy on mental health stressing the importance of enacting the Mental Health Act that has been in the pipeline for over eight years.

“Richmond Foundation looks forward to seeing the realisation of such issues at the earliest. It is believed these issues are fundamental and, if adequately addressed, there will be a healthier Maltese community,” the foundation said.