Portents from Orwell’s 1984: Bureaucracies, Ministries of Truth and Plenty – challenges facing the administration of mental healthcare in Australia

Jeffrey C.L. Looi; Stephen Allison; Stephen R. Kisely; Paul Maguire

doi:10.1177/1039856220937646

Portents from Orwell’s 1984: Bureaucracies, Ministries of Truth and Plenty – challenges facing the administration of mental healthcare in Australia

Jeffrey C.L. Looi^*, Stephen Allison, Stephen R. Kisely, Paul Maguire

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

5 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Objective: We reflect upon the processes of mental health administration in Australia with reference to George Orwell’s novel, 1984. Conclusions: Mental healthcare in Australia is distorted by politicisation, spin and a refusal to acknowledge the reality of the current situation. These challenges for mental healthcare demonstrate some similarities with the Ministries of Truth and Plenty, which conversely performed as their opposites in Orwell’s novel. Psychiatrists and their professional bodies should play a greater role in advocacy for clinician-led, evidence-based services in partnership with our communities.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	149-152
Number of pages	4
Journal	Australasian Psychiatry
Volume	29
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/1039856220937646
Publication status	Published - Apr 2021

Access to Document

10.1177/1039856220937646

Cite this

@article{5d94c51ca0734b56bfcf22c82ce4ccdd,

title = "Portents from Orwell{\textquoteright}s 1984: Bureaucracies, Ministries of Truth and Plenty – challenges facing the administration of mental healthcare in Australia",

abstract = "Objective: We reflect upon the processes of mental health administration in Australia with reference to George Orwell{\textquoteright}s novel, 1984. Conclusions: Mental healthcare in Australia is distorted by politicisation, spin and a refusal to acknowledge the reality of the current situation. These challenges for mental healthcare demonstrate some similarities with the Ministries of Truth and Plenty, which conversely performed as their opposites in Orwell{\textquoteright}s novel. Psychiatrists and their professional bodies should play a greater role in advocacy for clinician-led, evidence-based services in partnership with our communities.",

keywords = "bureaucratisation, mental health administration, politicisation, psychiatry, spin",

author = "Looi, {Jeffrey C.L.} and Stephen Allison and Kisely, {Stephen R.} and Paul Maguire",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2020.",

year = "2021",

month = apr,

doi = "10.1177/1039856220937646",

language = "English",

volume = "29",

pages = "149--152",

journal = "Australasian Psychiatry",

issn = "1039-8562",

publisher = "SAGE Publications Ltd",

number = "2",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Portents from Orwell’s 1984

T2 - Bureaucracies, Ministries of Truth and Plenty – challenges facing the administration of mental healthcare in Australia

AU - Looi, Jeffrey C.L.

AU - Allison, Stephen

AU - Kisely, Stephen R.

AU - Maguire, Paul

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2020.

PY - 2021/4

Y1 - 2021/4

N2 - Objective: We reflect upon the processes of mental health administration in Australia with reference to George Orwell’s novel, 1984. Conclusions: Mental healthcare in Australia is distorted by politicisation, spin and a refusal to acknowledge the reality of the current situation. These challenges for mental healthcare demonstrate some similarities with the Ministries of Truth and Plenty, which conversely performed as their opposites in Orwell’s novel. Psychiatrists and their professional bodies should play a greater role in advocacy for clinician-led, evidence-based services in partnership with our communities.

AB - Objective: We reflect upon the processes of mental health administration in Australia with reference to George Orwell’s novel, 1984. Conclusions: Mental healthcare in Australia is distorted by politicisation, spin and a refusal to acknowledge the reality of the current situation. These challenges for mental healthcare demonstrate some similarities with the Ministries of Truth and Plenty, which conversely performed as their opposites in Orwell’s novel. Psychiatrists and their professional bodies should play a greater role in advocacy for clinician-led, evidence-based services in partnership with our communities.

KW - bureaucratisation

KW - mental health administration

KW - politicisation

KW - psychiatry

KW - spin

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85087439220&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1177/1039856220937646

DO - 10.1177/1039856220937646

M3 - Article

SN - 1039-8562

VL - 29

SP - 149

EP - 152

JO - Australasian Psychiatry

JF - Australasian Psychiatry

IS - 2

ER -

Portents from Orwell’s 1984: Bureaucracies, Ministries of Truth and Plenty – challenges facing the administration of mental healthcare in Australia

Abstract

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this