1 Boring Old Man

^{The Early Psychosis Prevention and Intervention Centre [EPPIC] is an integrated and comprehensive psychiatric service aimed at addressing the needs of people aged 15-24 with emerging psychotic disorders in the western and north-western regions of Melbourne. EPPIC is a specialist clinical program of Orygen Youth Health [OYH] which is itself a component service of NorthWestern Mental Health and Melbourne Health.}

MENTAL HEALTH CONSUMERS CALL FOR EVIDENCE-BASED REFORM

^{A large group of mental health consumers and professionals calling themselves the "Alliance for Better Access" have issued a formal response to an article that appeared in The Sunday Age newspaper (Drug trial scrapped amid outcry 21/8), calling on the federal government to base mental health reform on the best evidence available. They are asking the government not to cut psychological services in the Better Access program. Earlier this year, the federal budget boosted support for early intervention programs, which was partially funded by cutting mental health services in a program called "Better Access to Mental Health Care". As the Sunday Age highlights, international mental health experts have questioned the benefits of early intervention programs for those "at risk" of psychosis. Ben Mullings, a psychologist who has worked in the Better Access program since its inception says, “If these cuts to psychological services go ahead, the level of treatment available for people with depression and anxiety will fall below basic minimal standards. These guidelines are well-established right across the scientific research in our field”}

^{The "Alliance for Better Access" have argued that mental health funding needs to go to programs that are backed by extensive research and independent evaluation. They point out that cutting the Better Access program to fund other services that are not well-established in the research, is not an informed way to make decisions. Given that the Better Access program is based on decades of psychological research, the group is calling on the federal government to leave the program intact. With depression predicted by the World Health Organization to be one of the world’s leading health concerns by 2020, treatment of depression needs to be affordable and easily accessible to the general population.}

^{Darren Stones, a mental health consumer, says “Scaling back Better Access will make it next to impossible for the average Australian to reach out for help. How are we supposed to afford psychological services if Medicare won‟t provide enough support?” Like many people involved in the "Alliance for Better Access", he has criticised the cuts to services from 18 sessions down to just 10 sessions per year, on the basis that it will restrict access for those people who are most in need of psychological care.}

^{The response from the "Alliance for Better Access" is not opposed to programs that target young people or psychosis, but rather, it calls on any changes to the system to be based on the best evidence about programs accessible to the general public across all age groups. Spokesperson for the group, Ben Mullings, says “We want to see government funding aimed at improving and enhancing the current system, instead of dismantling our existing programs that have years of research showing they are effective.” In the coming week the Alliance for Better Access will publish an article on its website outlining the extensive scientific evidence that underpins the Better Access program. This website also contains stories of real people who will be affected by these cuts to services.}

^{I really think the current crisis was caused by an unusually maladaptive solution to the last crisis – the one that was swirling around in the 1970s when I was in training. I didn’t see it clearly back then [as is often the case in hurricane], but it seems clearer now. If things go true to form, I’ll probably soon be blathering about my view of those days, like old men often do…}