MY APPEAL/COMPLAINT TO THE MINISTER FOR MENTAL HEALTH OF VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA
by Benjamin Merhav


The Hon. Mary Wooldridge, MP
Minister for Mental Health
Melbourne, Victoria.

Dear Minister,

this is an urgent appeal/complaint to you on behalf of my daughter, Miss Rebekah Merhav. As you know, my daughter has been subjected to compulsory psychiatric treatment (under CTO) for almost 34 years now, yet the current treating psychiatrist won't let go of her even now. There is absolutely no justification for this refusal, not even from a psychiatric point of view, as she is no danger to herself or to anyone else.

As a representative of my daughter I have complained numerous times against this ongoing torture (psychiatric "treatment") which makes her suffer both physically and mentally for no scientific reason and at the risk of her death. Thus, for example, ever since she was forced to consume clozapine and risperdole, some 6 years ago, she has not been able to have a restful night sleep ( not a single full night sleep !), which can cause death, as I pointed out in my previous complaints. Yet, rather than investigating my complaints, and gradually reducing the dosage of the Antipsychotics my daughter has been forced to take, I was punished by the head of Alfred psychiatry - with the approval of the then Chief Psychiatrist - for making these complaints on behalf of my daughter.

In a letter to me ,dated 1st April, 2008, by the Legal Counsel of Bayside Health, acting on behalf of the Head of Psychiatry at Alfred Hospital who is in charge of the regional Clinics, I was accused of stalking the treating psychiatrist. Since then I was banned from making any contact with anyone in the clinic. The only liaison nurse who was appointed for weekly contact with me happened to be so busy that she had not contacted me for many months, eventually stopping all contacts with the notice that I should contact my daughter's "case manager" instead. I did so, but the "case manager" has refused to meet me for many weeks now.

Today, she phoned me to let me know that she arranged for me a meeting with my daughter's registrar, but when I asked her to arrange a meeting with my daughter's consultant psychiatrist instead she refused.

This sordid and arbitrary attitude to my daughter and to her appointed representative by the relevant psychiatrists and by their subservient nurses has had the approval of all psychiatric echelons so far. As a result my daughter continues to suffer and to be subjected to the risk of death. Hence the urgency of this appeal to you . I therefore ask you to intervene in the matter immediately, before it is too late !