Risk of abuse for 1,200 people with severe mental illnesses

Jess Casey More than 1,200 people with severe mental illnesses are at risk of abuse, having been left in “mini-institutions with little prospect of receiving rehabilitation” into independent living, the Mental Health Commission has found.

More than 1,200 people with severe mental illnesses are at risk of abuse, having been left in “mini-institutions with little prospect of receiving rehabilitation” into independent living, the Mental Health Commission has found.

During the course of 2018, the commission discovered a litany of ongoing “human rights breaches” for people with mental health illnesses living in 54 of the country’s 24-hour supervised residences. Almost 45% of residences did not provide single rooms to people living there and the vast majority, 91%, of shared bedrooms did not provide any privacy for residents, not even curtains between beds.