'Mental health issues should be considered a disability'

Ten organisations that work in the field of mental health and two commissioners have agreed that persons with mental health conditions and difficulties should be recognised as persons with disabilities in terms of all applicable legislative instruments. 

Speaking following the signing of a declaration to that effect, Commissioner for the Promotion of Rights of Persons with Mental Disorders John Cachia said the Mental Health Act fostered a more social and community supportive environment for persons with mental health problems.

The declaration was another step forward towards more adequate and effective support for persons suffering from severe mental disorders. 

A detailed discussion on entitlement to various benefits was urgently needed, leading to the identification of the necessary mechanisms to implement the change process. 

Applicable benefits had to acknowledge the invaluable support given by families and informal carers to persons with disabling mental disorders. Cachia stated that the declaration was the beginning of a process where the various stakeholders together were stronger in pressing forward the agenda for better representation and a better life for whole families and the persons they supported. 

Commissioner for the Rights of Persons with Disability Oliver Scicluna said the declaration was an important starting point in the advocacy of the rights of persons with mental health issues, who currently still faced a lot of social barriers in Malta, particularly since this was a hidden disability. 

Through this declaration, a number of key entities were committing themselves to recognising mental health conditions as a disability, broadening access to existing services as well as developing new ones. 

Assessment changes were needed in line with internationally recognised tools that encompassed psychosocial, functional and medical difficulties. The next step was to convince politicians and policymakers on the need to implement the changes so as to truly have an inclusive society in place. 

Patient representatives and carers expressed satisfaction that a common position was being endorsed.

This would hopefully lead to access to services needed. NGOs expressed concern about difficulties being experienced with employers who often were not aware of the support needed for a person with mental health challenges to keep a job.

Some people tended to hide their difficulties not to lose their job, to the detriment of their health. 

Families and carers also needed psychological support services and social work interventions. 

Representatives expressed concerned that current “community care” implied care provided by families. 

“On a national level we have to understand that nobody is exempt from the possibility of facing mental illness and thus having adequate policies and services are of benefit to the whole nation,” they said.