Humanising Mental Health Care in Australia

The learning from this book will also enable others to develop a greater understanding of the appropriate approach to the treatment of people suffering complex trauma.

The Honourable Peter McClellan, AM, QC, Chair, Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

Every mental health clinician and health policy maker and administrator in the country should read Humanising Mental Health Care in Australia. Set out in four sections, it is an easy to read, informative and important text about the impact of trauma on mental health, and why it is important to recognise it and respond appropriately, at both an individual level and a systems level. No matter what your background, if you are interested in how to improve the delivery of compassionate mental health care, I guarantee you will find true 'pearls of wisdom' in this book.

Dr Peggy Brown, AO, Former Chief Executive Officer, National Mental Health Commission

The title of this book, Humanising Mental Health Care In Australia, embraces a deep and overdue imperative in mental health care, not only in Australia but around the world. The paradox of surging momentum of awareness of mental illness contrasting with the increasingly poor quality of mental health care underlines the urgent need for reform and a more sophisticated approach. We have lurched from a brainless to a mindless psychiatry when we need a much more sophisticated blend, which transcends the old false dichotomies. The centrality and potency of trauma in creating and embedding mental illness is reflected in this high quality monograph which captures a wide range of Australian expertise in a balanced yet passionate way. Other biological, psychological and social dimensions are also crucial if we are to humanise mental health care, however trauma is the most likely one to be suppressed or denied, so affirmative action is required. This book supports such affirmative action. Courage, scholarship and skill are essential if the mission to humanise mental health care is to succeed. This book is an essential resource in this mission.

Professor Patrick McGorry, AO, Executive Director, Orygen