Question Time

Borderline Personality Disorder

The Hon. K.L. VINCENT (15:10): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking questions of the minister representing the Minister for Health about borderline personality disorder services in South Australia.

Leave granted.

The Hon. K.L. VINCENT: I, of course, have raised the issue of borderline personality disorder or BPD on several occasions in this place and to this day I continue to be concerned about the lack of strategy in relation to this mental health condition in this state. My apprehensions about this lack of coordinated treatment have continued as I have been contacted by constituents whose loved ones and their family members have BPD diagnosis and they suicide or die as a complication of suicide attempts.

The rate of BPD within the South Australian population is somewhere between 0.7 and 2 per cent so it affects a significant number of our community. The seriousness of this issue struck a chord with the producers of ABC's 7.30 and they aired a story earlier this year in late February illustrating some of our failings as a community in our healthcare system through the tragic story of one family.

Last week after more than two years stuck somewhere in the bureaucracy of SA Health, the Statewide Mental Health Clinical Network Chair finally released the BPD working party's report titled 'An overview of current delivery of Borderline Personality Disorder services in the public sector across South Australia and a proposed way forward'. There is an opportunity to give feedback for four weeks and then I very much hope that SA Health and our public mental health services are given the resources and mandate to get on with implementing the recommendations made in the report.

I would also note that in sentencing Ashley Polkinghorne on the death of her daughter, Chloe Valentine, Justice Trish Kelly talked about Ms Polkinghorne's borderline personality disorder diagnosis and the issues that would be caused if she did not have treatment and was to become a parent again.

Clearly the impacts both socially and economically of BPD are significant and we cannot afford to ignore the existence of this condition, and fail to have a statewide strategy to manage this mental health condition any longer. If we do have a strategy we will save money in our emergency departments and other health services over time. My questions to the minister are:

1. Will tomorrow's state budget include resourcing support for the minister to establish a statewide BPD specialist service?

2. Will the minister ensure mental health services within SA be accepted as core business in both principle and practice?

3. Will the minister where evident encourage the elimination of entrenched and widespread negative attitudes towards all mental illnesses particularly those with BPD across mental health and general health services and actively address the culture of stigma, discrimination and exclusion from these services?

4. When will the minister appoint a clinical BPD coordinator to develop a statewide work plan?

5. Will that clinical BPD coordinator be mandated to work with senior staff within each local health network to develop a clear plan to address the supervision and support requirements of those clinicians working with people with BPD?

6. Will the minister establish a steering committee to work toward developing partnerships in research to foster quality improvement initiatives and collaboration on BPD?

7. Will the minister give particular attention to the development of services within Country Health SA, where BPD services are limited or unavailable?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (15:14): I thank the honourable member for her most important question to the Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse in the other place on the issue of borderline personality disorder services. I won't take her first question to the minister. She will have to wait to see the budget tomorrow as it is handed down by the Treasurer.

Of course, in relation to question 2, I will refer that to the Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse. I can confirm right now that in relation to question 3 the minister is a very strong advocate against stigma in relation to mental health disorders. The remaining questions 4 through to 7 I will take to the minister in the other place and seek a response on her behalf.