The Malta Independent has ruffled some feathers in the Police Force with its recent reports on the heavy-handed way in which certain cases are handled in terms of admissions to mental institutions, and has also prompted a reaction from one of Malta’s top psychiatrists.

The police took exception to “misleading and untrue statements made by a doctor speaking to The Malta Independent”, in connection with people being admitted to Mount Carmel after displaying ‘odd’ behaviour.

In reaction to the story, the President of the Maltese Association of psychiatry Etienne Muscat said that Malta is in the spasms of a culture change where it comes to people being admitted to mental institutions.

But the delivery of the right of reply by the police – made within hours of the papers hitting the shelves – also contrasts to the usual manner in which requests for information by this newsroom have often been put on the backburner for months, some of which still remain unanswered. Given that we have the Force’s attention, we will publish our previous requests along with the police’s statement.

The full right of reply by the police is published hereunder:

“Reference is hereby being made to the biased article irresponsibly entitled Police Abuse: People Drunk or on Drugs Have Been Sent to Mount Carmel, written by Jacob Borg and published in the Malta Independent on August 28, 2014.

“In view of the above-mentioned article, the Malta Police Force feels compelled to react to the misleading and untrue statements supposedly made by “a doctor speaking to the Malta Independent”.

“The Force first and foremost emphasises that it is not the Police who admit patients to any medical institution but rather doctors, who are trained to make such assessments. And this definitely without any shopping around, as insinuated by the source.

“The Police are, on the other hand, obliged to seek medical advice whenever they suspect that someone may not be in full control of their mental faculties and it is their strict duty to ensure that such assistance is sought. However, from then on it is wholly up to the doctor.

“The Force makes it blatantly clear that it will not be taking any risks, regardless of such unfounded criticism.

“It actually appears that this so-called “doctor” is somewhat unfamiliar with the system as the Police cannot, in fact, simply drop by a health centre and search for someone who is willing to admit a patient. Doctors there work on a roster basis and it is the one that happens to be on duty at the time that actually deals with the case.

“Such statements, in fact, only give the impression that the source may actually not be familiar with the situation because he or she should know that a substantial number of people who are assessed are actually not institutionalised.

Moreover, the newspaper once again refers to its continuously biased reporting of a protestor who was institutionalised. The Force reiterates that the said person was referred to the psychiatric unit by a doctor from a health centre. The police were only duty-bound to convey the man as instructed and it is beyond the Force whether he was eventually discharged or not.”

Malta is in the throes of culture change – psychiatrist

Meanwhile, also speaking to The Malta Independent, psychiatrist Etienne Muscat said that although the system of admitting people to Mount Carmel can be abused like any other system, yet involuntary admissions to a psychiatric hospital are partly related to a Maltese culture which still tries its best to help all people.

“Society is undergoing a gradual shift in mindset, we are realising that we cannot forcibly solve all of society’s ills. In the past, mental hospitals were also used to deal with behaviour that was inexplicable to society such as severe drug-use. Cultural change comes about slowly, this is the tension that we are struggling with.”

Dr Muscat said the lack of other alternatives also leads to more admissions to mental health hospitals than one would like to see.

Without going into the specific merits of the case of the peaceful protester, Dr Muscat said the fact that the man was discharged the following day shows that the necessary checks and balances are present at Mount Carmel.

 “The police are generally tremendously reluctant to force people to go to Mount Carmel. I agree that one case of inappropriate admission is one case is too many. In my experience this is not usually done in an abusive manner. People are doing it out of an excess of concern not an excess of force.”

“The way forward is to only have people with diagnosable illness taken to mental hospital.”