Cartoon inspired by first-hand experience

In response to Rachel Murdoch and her comments regarding my mental health cartoon (Oct 31). Firstly, thanks for the reaction. That’s the basic idea behind a cartoon, to get people talking even if it offends.

I do have experience of the mental health system. A close family member has been under their wing for seven very long years. Those who have loved ones within this environment know very well the stresses and strains that reverberate throughout the whole family. These stresses are continuing at this time of writing.

Nothing can compare to seeing your loved one taken away down a corridor in the acute unit and hearing the door locking behind them. Then there are the constant meetings with psychologists, psychiatrists, caregivers, social workers, counsellors, etc, etc. All the time you are waiting for a sign of improvement or a small positive to uplift the constant grind you go through as a family. For every small gain there are usually quite a few backward steps.

The people who do the hard yards like many over-worked social workers, tend to have good relationships with their patients. Sometimes they may use blunt language and various motivational techniques to help inspire. ‘‘Touch-feely’’ political correctness doesn’t always go down well.

Overall, the care I witnessed in Hillmorton was second to none. Staff have always been courteous and respectful. Communication has been good. But being ensconced in the firing line of such a mercurial environment, humour has to occasionally raise its head, usually as a coping mechanism . . . hence my cartoon.

In reality, you do see some strange sights in the mental health system. There’s no denying it. Medication can create a lot of them. Being Halloween, all the ducks lined up to use this zombie-like analogy for my drawing. I was merely trying to highlight the lack of governmental input into the mental health system, an ongoing topic of much discussion.

Al Nisbet

Kaikoura