Mental health care - Enough of reports, now for change

While it is improper to jump to any conclusions about who was responsible for the murder of Michael Hughes last weekend, his death in a frenzied attack, in which he was stabbed at least 80 times, has again focused attention on the area of psychiatric illness.

Our population has increased significantly since 1971, but the number of mentally ill people in care is about the same.

Treatment has undergone revolutionary change with residential care being replaced by community care, in which patients are put back into the community.