SANE Australia has urged Australians to avoid speculation about motive and mental illness in discussion of the alleged attack on independent MP for Indi Helen Haines.
The mental health organisation said there was still much unknown about the circumstances or motivation for the attack, and said public reporting referring to mental health concerns raised by the accused person’s lawyer did not establish a diagnosis of schizophrenia or that mental illness caused the alleged offending.
SANE said it recognised the impact and trauma for Haines’ family, friends and community, including people in Wangaratta and Indi, those close to her, people who witnessed or responded to the incident, and others affected by extensive media coverage. Melbourne Insider has separately reported on condemnation of the attack.
The organisation said it was observing growing speculation about the accused person’s mental health, including suggestions he may have been living with schizophrenia, as well as commentary about drug use. SANE said rushing to speculation without evidence was ill-informed, inflamed discourse and created risk in the community.
It also said people living with schizophrenia and other complex mental health conditions had long faced fear, judgement and stigma, and that commentary immediately connecting mental illness with violence could be damaging.
Support services listed by SANE
SANE said persistent negative portrayals of mental illness reinforced shame, reduced the likelihood that someone would seek help, and contributed to social isolation, poorer health outcomes and suicide risk among people with complex mental illness that it said was more than 10 times that of the general population.
The organisation said Australia needed discussion about access to mental health care, early intervention and ongoing psychosocial support, which it said could prevent significant deterioration and help people with complex mental ill health live healthy, productive and meaningful lives.
It also listed Lifeline on 13 11 14, Phoenix Australia’s digital trauma tools, and 13 YARN on 13 92 76, available 24 hours.
