Petition to Provide Healthy Choices for People in Mental Healthcare in New Zealand
A petition has been created to request The Minister of Health and the New Zealand Government take measures to improve access to psycho-social, holistic treatment options, evaluate the impact of current mental healthcare and reduce reliance on medication and compulsory treatment.
Why sign this petition?
Because lasting recovery comes from life change and life change is not inspired by medication and restricted freedoms, it is inspired by support, psycho-social skills, cultural connections, nourishing lives and therapeutic interventions. Signing this petition will help send a message to government and ministry that the current status of things is inadequate and needs to change.
What does the petition say?
We, the undersigned support Annie Chapman in her cause, and hereby request
- An independent inquiry into the impact of current mental health treatment for people diagnosed with a mental illness, relative to:
- Their human rights
- Their dignity as citizens
- Their physical health
- The cost/benefit ratio of long-term high-dose psychiatric medication (taking into account the costs to the health system and to the individuals, of physical side-effects of high-dose medications).
2. We also request that District Health Boards are required to provide, to those diagnosed with mental illness, greater access to health-promoting psycho-social, holistic (mind/body) and culturally diverse treatment options, and aligning with options that research has proven successful here in NZ and other countries in
- Improving long-term recovery outcomes
- Reducing dependence on psychiatric medication
- Reducing reliance on compulsory treatment orders
