Madam, - I refer to comments quoted in a report headed "New cells condemned by penal reformers" in your edition of September 11th.
The Central Mental Hospital (CMH) is committed to the ongoing development of services for mentally disordered prisoners and patients in Ireland and welcomes public debate on related issues. However, it expresses deep concern over references to practices within the CMH mentioned in the article, relating to the discussion paper issued by the Irish Penal Reform Trust on September 10th. The discussion paper refers to "commonly held perceptions" of the administration of medicines in the CMH, in particular the perception that patients returning from the CMH are "over-medicalised" or "drugged up to the gills".
This reference to "commonly expressed perceptions" without tangible evidence is both misleading and inaccurate. Our fears have been confirmed by your reporter Frank McNally's presentation of this as a concrete fact: "It [the IPRT discussion paper] criticises 'the over-drugging of mentally-ill prisoners returning from the Central Mental Hospital'."
The whole issue of mental illness is surrounded by ignorance and fear, and printing what is expressed as a "perception", with no tangible evidence, as if it were a fact serves only to propagate the negative image surrounding the issue of mental illness. The CMH has a written policy for the ordering, prescribing, storing and administering of medicines, and it should be noted that when patients are returned from the CMH to prison, they are more often than not on less medication than when admitted. - Yours, etc.,
ALEX CONNOLLY,
Director of Communications,
East Coast Area
Health Board,
Bray,
Co Wicklow.