‘Drugged up to the gills:’ facts and perceptions

I REFER to the article entitled ‘Mentally ill inmates leaving hospital drugged up to gills’ (Irish Examiner, September 11).

This article was written in response to a discussion paper issued by the Irish Penal Reform Trust.

The discussion paper made reference to ‘commonly held perceptions’ of the administration of medicines in the Central Mental Hospital (CMH), in particular the perception that patients returning from the hospital are ‘over-medicalised’ or ‘drugged up to the gills.’