The closure of Kimberley last month, the very last of New Zealand's mental health units, signalled a bygone era in psychiatric treatment. Psychiatric patients are now known as mental health "consumers."
"Nutters have an important part to play in today's society."
This will be the theme at New Zealand's first Nutters Conference for psychiatric survivors, psychiatrists and mental health workers held in Napier November 21-24.
"Mental health is one of the most rapidly changing and innovative areas in health," said Susie Crooks, chief operating officer for the Lighthouse Trust, the conference's organiser.
The Lighthouse Trust itself is run by mental health 'consumers'
She said New Zealand has been enormously successful in reintegrating psychiatric survivors into the community.
The Lighthouse Trust wants people to come away from the conference with the message that people who experience mental illness are valued members of the community, Ms Crooks said.
"Run by nutters for the whole sector, this event is one not to be missed, " she said.
Film director, Jim Marbrook will be premiering his 40 minute documentary, "A Town Like Alice' at the conference.
In 2001, the government apologised and paid $6.5 million in compensation to 95 patients for the [mis]treatment they received at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital, near Marton, in the 1970s.
Marbrook said he wanted to record the history of psychiatric institutions in New Zealand together with the experiences of those people who were part of Lake Alice Hospital.
"We have talked to people who have been through as patients, we have talked to a clinician and someone who went there as a nurse aid. We wanted to see balance portrayed," he said.
"One of the things that someone told was that they survived despite the care or non-care they received...despite incredible hardships and incredible abuses of power and of the duty of care. That people are resilient and people survived," said Marbrook.
Ms Crooks said recovery from major mental illness is far more likely when treatment is voluntary and human rights are respected.
"Treatment plays a very small part in recovery and housing, families, employment, being valued and all the things that make life worth living play a much greater role."
The Governor General Anand Satyanand, PCNZM will officially open the conference on November 22.
Human rights lawyer Tony Ellis will be a keynote speaker at the conference.
Mr Ellis has won many ground-breaking cases in the High Court and is chairman for the N.Z. Council for Civil Liberties.
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