Bastards and misogynists, this was a power trip and it’s not unusual in Australia for the police to react aggressively towards mentally ill people as multiple news articles show. I find this utterly disgusting and inhumane to treat anyone like this, especially a vulnerable person. The video was hidden for good reason, it shows the mentally of some police officers. This was callous and calculated brutality. They clearly enjoyed what they were doing. But why was this poor lady not given medication in prison and seen by a psychiatrist before being released. Why wasn’t there someone put in place after her friend had died to accompany her on here release from prison? The whole situation from the beginning was mishandled. But the absolute icing on the cake was the deliberate violent abuse committed by these two police officers.
Too many times mentally ill people have been treated worse than wild animals, and police not bothering to get properly trained medical professionals to assist them using some compassion. Yes, it’s not always possible to get the medical professionals at the time, but there are other resources that can be used. There is no bloody excuse for the brutality used and the deliberate disregard for the human rights of the individuals in such situations.
Too many times we are told , do you know how violent the mentally unstable people are. I think the highest risk comes from callous people who lack respect and compassion for the mentally unstable. Of course some individuals are highly violent and very strong but they are the minority.
It also comes down to how the police or authorities speak to the individual. Too many have an arrogant attitude towards the mentally ill and that will obviously cause the person to arc up because they are being disrespected. A arrogant tone of voice is obviously going to offend anyone isn’t it? So modify the attitude when addressing a mentally ill person. Respect is what it comes down to or lack there of.
The police seem to see mentally ill people as less than human, as do a vast majority of the public straight away the average ignorant person asks if the person is off their medication.
I have seen this shitty attitude within my family too, and even my parents jumped to arrogant conclusions about a family member or two. People who have never been through any mental health problems just can’t understand nor show real empathy for the person who has mental health problems.
I had an aunt that had mental health issues and my parents had a disgusting attitude about her. Yes , she was a self absorbed individual, but so was my mother and quite frankly I didn’t see much of a difference between them. As a child I was shocked at their attitude towards mental health. My mother’s side of the family had a history of anxiety and depression but the lack of compassion was sickening.
What one of my last serious conversations with my father was about involved a family member who had mental health issues at the time and without knowing what was going, on he said a court order could be issued to make the person take their medication. The person was taking their medication and never deviated from that. I just thought at the time are you just so callous and ignorant, apparently he was. That person was and is a far more compassionate person than most of my family and the general public. Someone my parents supposedly loved, but the moment a person has a mental health problem people change.
Having a friend of over 25 years who has a serious mental illness, I have watched other friends drop this friend too. Mental illness is not catching like the flu, but ignorance is. You don’t suddenly treat the person any differently than before. Nor do you disrespect them or dismiss what they say, listen and assess if they are going through a crisis. If you can’t help them talk to their loved ones and suggest help for them asap.
The negative attitude towards mental illness is ingrained in a high percentage of the human population, it is archaic and needs to be changed. We see lip service advertising on tv about mental illnesses and to help our loved ones when they are depressed. The reality is totally different, people avoid you. Some through being unsure of what to say or what to do, but many people have the attitude of arrogance and don’t want to know the person suffering. Is it any wonder we have so much suicide?
