IS THE CHIEF PSYCHIATRIST IN VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA, NOT ACCOUNTABLE AND/OR ABOVE THE LAW ?
by Benjamin Merhav


Hon. Mary Wooldridge, MP
Minister for Mental Health
Melbourne, Vic.

Dear Minister,

thanks for your email message in reply to mine of 13 February regarding Miss Rebeckah Merhav, my daughter. Her case is a matter of risking death and/or permanent damage to her brain as a result of being forced to consume daily the psychiatric (Antipsychotic) drugs clozapine and risperdal, as I have indicated in my letter to the Chief Psychiatrist. Therefore it is a most urgent matter to resolve.

As for the liaison arrangement, it should have been replaced by now with normal communications with all the functionaries at the Clinic, as is required by the Mental Health Act, as well as the Chief Psychiatrist's guiding lines. However, I have renewed now my contact with Ms Susan Birks, and she agreed to continue to act as liaison once a week, at least.

Now to my daughter's "treatment" and to the Chief Psychiatrist's reply to my complaints regarding it. Let me point out at the outset that although the Chief Psychiatrist has the responsibility for the treatment and care of psychiatric patients in Victoria, he himself is not beyond accountability for his own actions and/or omissions. As the Minister is accountable for her portfolio to the government and to the parliament, so is the Chief Psychiatrist accountable to the Minister (aided by advisers who need not be necessarily qualified psychiatrists).

Thus, for example, it is only logical ( as well as plain decency and politeness ) that the Chief Psychiatrist should "respond directly (to me) regarding the issues (I ) have raised" as you correctly state in your letter. Instead, in his reply to me (dated 1st March) he merely states that he is "satisfied with the quality of treatment" given to my daughter, thereby ignoring my complaints. Such a reply is tantamount to expressing arrogant contempt and complete disregard for my complaints regarding my daughter's psychiatric "treatment".

The issues I have raised are not trivial matters which can be dismissed off-hand.They are very grave issues - and the very survival of my daughter depends on them - backed by scientific research and indicated as such by psychiatric sources. For the sake of clarity I list them again as follows :

1. My daughter has been under compulsory psychiatric "treatment" (CTO), meaning coerced to consume Antipsychotic drugs, off and on, for 33 years now, since the age of 15 ( 33 of the best years of life ). During the last 6 years at least she has been forced to consume daily the deadly Clozapine and injected the deadly risperdal every 10 days.

2. During the forced consumption of the clozapine ( for at least 6 years ) my daughter was deprived of normal sleep at night ( as I explained in my letter to the Chief Psychiatrist ). This deprivation of sleep alone leads to death ( according to recent scientific research here : http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8660373.stm ; http://markspsychiatry.com/lack-of-sleep-increases-risk-of-dying/,and see also : http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/feb/09/dangers-sleep-deprivation ).

3. Blood clots leading to death are caused by Antipsychotic drugs (see: http://www.pharmatimes.com/Article/10-09-23/New_data_supports_link_between_antipsychotics_and_blood_clots.aspx). Also other heart damage leading to death are caused by Antipsychotic drugs : "Antipsychotic drugs are a clear risk to cardiometabolic health. This risk is, all too often, a necessary one. But the trade-off between mental and physical well-being is one that no patient should be forced to make. The mind-body dichotomy is both outdated and dangerous. The price of good mental health must not be a lifetime of physical illness."(see : http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/brain-and-behavior/articles/2011/02/18/antipsychotic-drugs-raise-heart-risks-experts-warn# ).
Keep in mind that in the case of my daughter the price of "good mental health" her psychiatrists insist on is permanent brain damage and/or death.

4. Sudden death by neuroleptic malignant syndrome as a result of Antipsychotic drugs consumption.
"Neuroleptic malignant syndrome²
All of the major tranquilizers have been implicated in the development of neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS), a life-threatening derangement that affects multiple organ systems and results in significant mortality."(see : http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/815881-overview )."

5. Death by diabetes caused as a result of clozapine consumption.
"Antipsychotic medications, especially the newer atypicals, have unfortunately contributed to the prevalence of obesity in the medicated schizophrenic population, with current estimates ranging from 40 to 60% versus 30% of the general adult population. In addition, use of the newer atypical antipsychotics appears to increase the risk of acquiring or exacerbating type 2 diabetes,²² even, rarely, causing diabetic ketoacidosis and death."(see:http://clinical.diabetesjournals.org/content/24/1/18.full ).

6. Recent scientific research proves that long term consumption of Antipsychotic drugs leads to permanent brain damage and to the shortening of life span by 25% (see: http://archpsyc.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/68/2/128 ).

I therefore ask you to instruct the Chief Psychiatrist to cancel the CTO over my daughter so as to allow her to get drug free alternative treatment ( to which she is entitled by law ); and/or to institute a public inquiry into the "treatment" of my daughter ( public inquiry independent of psychiatry); and/or to order the Chief Psychiatrist to instruct the immediate gradual reduction of the Antipsychotics forced on my daughter until their complete elimination.

Sincerely, Benjamin Merhav