The Wire

When mental health was de-institutionalised it meant that family and carers picked up the burden. Maureen Lewis spent almost 20 years caring for her son who developed schizophrenia when he was 17. She said people like her really don’t get the support or education they need to deal with what’s happening to them. Professor David Castle is Chair of Psychiatry at St Vincent’s health. He says there is a need for more integration of services into the community so that carers don’t feel so alone.