Drugs Link to Suicides in Spotlight

Drugs Link to Suicides in Spotlight

COCKBURN CITY HERALD Volume 23 No 48 Cockburn City’s own INDEPENDENT newspaper 41 Cliff Street, Fremantle Saturday December 1, 2012 Letterboxed to Cockburn, Atwell*, Beeliar*, Bibra Lake*, Coogee, Coolbellup*, Hamilton Hill, Ph: 9430 7727 Fax 9430 7726 www.fremantleherald.com/cockburn Jandakot*, Munster, North Lake*, South Lake*, Spearwood, Success* and Yangebup* *Fortnightly Email: news@fremantleherald.com Dockers decide: Off to Cockburn by BRENDAN FOSTER THE Fremantle Dockers are heading to Cockburn. Cockburn mayor Logan Howlett revealed Drugs link late on Thursday the city had won the bidding war against Fremantle and was set to vote on a heads of agreement with the club at a special council meeting next Wednesday. These types of agreements usually precede a contract of sale. to suicides The club’s move to Cockburn’s $113 million elite training facility at Cockburn Central was supposed to be kept under wraps, and even a number of councillors were unaware of what the closed-doors meeting was about. But the signs were there: At the same time in spotlight Cockburn was organising a formal meeting, Fremantle mayor Brad Pettitt revealed he was The WA health merely booked in for chit chat with the club’s by CARMELO AMALFI department spends top brass who were to reveal their decision. $200 million a year members were hoodwinked at the meeting. ANTI-PSYCHOTIC drugs are in Dr Pettitt said Fremantle didn’t even get on pharmaceuticals “We were told the decision was still a long the spotlight as a possible cause of a chance to present the Dockers with its fi nal from companies way off ,” he said. “If they are about to sign a off er. a spike in suicides at Fremnatle’s that reported deal it’s the most deceptive act in the history of Alma Street psychiatric clinic. providing Australian sport.” Sweetheart deals The prescription medications are employees Mr Lewis says he doesn’t know how known to increase suicidal thoughts with 200 gifts Cockburn’s going to get the money to pay for “Look if it’s true, it’s disappointing,” he said. in some patients, with evidence in the audited ff the facility. “We thought we put a good o er on the table of greater risk in the two weeks period—169 • Martin Whitely “The very high level of borrowing required and we understood we would have the chance following dosage alteration or change of which were not reported to fi is a very bad starting point given the global to present our nal proposal to the board.” of brand. parliament. economic climate and also given that no major Cockburn deputy mayor Kevin Allen, Many suicides at Alma Street in Mr Whitely wants closer scrutiny new sports project in Australia has been built who’s checking out sustainability in Israel on a the past two years occurred within of Alma Street’s drug protocols. on-budget in the past 20 years,” he said. council-funded tour, texted there should be no days of discharge. “Either there is a commercial “What has always concerned us is the “sweetheart deals”. Labor MLA Martin Whitely imperative to use certain drugs or apparently big fi nancial and corporate risk “My position is they are a commercial entity is concerned that doctors are too else the doctors have a bias towards to the Dockers in the Cockburn project. Let’s and should pay full commercial rates,” said Cr infl uenced by schmoozing of drugs such as risperidone and fast forward to 2016 when the Cockburn Allen, who’s consistently opposed the council’s multinational pharmaceutical paliperidone,” he says. project is built, is over budget, is costing attempts to poach the club. companies when deciding what to Last year, Johnson & Johnson Cockburn $7 million a year in interest plus a $2 Keep Freo in Freo member Chris Lewis, who prescribe. and its subsidiary Janssen million annual operating loss, as indicated by missed getting elected to the Dockers board by He’s submitted an FOI to Pharmaceuticals Inc. were fi ned Cockburn’s own independent consultants. 25 votes at the club’s AGM on Tuesday, said Fremantle Hospital, “to see if it is $1.2 billion by an Arkansas Find the Fake Ad conducting drug trials on patients”. judge after a jury found the & WIN a Chance An auditor-general’s report earlier companies had downplayed for a Feast for 2 this year found WA public health multiple risks associated with Fermabulous Marie Christmas! WE’VE got $1000 o cials were accepting gifts and free risperidone (risperdal) used to treat MAKE Marie’s Christmas. She needs trips worth millions of dollars from schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and of wine from Fermoy reliable scooter drivers and walkers drug companies. behaviour problems in children with Estate up for grabs. THE MUSSEL BAR to get the Herald out every week. See Fremantle was not one of the six autism. For details, please see the See inside for details. Competitions page page 9 for maps and contact details. hospitals audited. •Continued page 2 Fig Caffeine Society For the man in your life Join the society & receive a FREE direct trade coffee any Gifts from time, any day of the year - dine $59 in or take-away!! Only $149 This secret Fig society is Ring fremantle arts centre limited to the first 500 Cuffl inks members. Get in QUICK! Ring Visit a Fig to learn bazaar secret hand shake & sign up (no phone wa’s best christmas market registrations) Swanbourne 30 nov–2 dec 2012 Scarborough South Beach Bracelets Leather fri 5–10pm | sat + sun 9am–5pm Bracelet thefig.com.au * Excludes Christmas day Mon - Fri 9.30am-5pm Sat 9.30am-4pm 118 High Street Mall media partner Fremantle Ph: 9433 2331 www.creationsjewellery.com.au | Find us on: Government of Western Australia Department of Local Government Metropolitan Local Government Review Drug links query Call for Public Comment • From page 1 suicide but blames risperidone’s food and drug administration The company has appealed side eff ects for leaving her a MedWatch program received The State Government is calling for public comment on the recommendations of the that and all other decisions “broken thing”. 7320 individual safety reports independent Metropolitan Local Government Review. against it. “Since some of the side citing zyprexa (olanzapine) as Cathy and Ian Edwards said eff ects are suicide and violent The review recommends major changes to local government arrangements in metropolitan the primary suspect drug for their 26-year-old son Anthony, behaviour, it is here that the 2962 distinct side-eff ects ranging Perth. ff who su ered schizophrenia, was causes of Alma Street patient from abnormal dreams and The recommendations are the result of an extensive examination of the social, economic not suicidal until his admission deaths may lie,” the retired abnormal faeces to skin and eye and environmental challenges facing Perth into the future. The review has recommended to Alma Street in March, when biochemist says, accusing the discolouration. wide-ranging changes for local governments in metropolitan Perth in order to meet those he was put on risperidone. hospital of “peddling poisons”. Fears over their impact are challenges. He jumped to his death from In May a letter her daughter highlighted in three reports, The full report is available on the Department of Local Government website, dlg.wa.gov.au a Fremantle tower block the day had written in 2008 was read out including this week’s report card Comments should be provided through the website, by email to metroreform@dlg.wa.gov.au after his discharge. by the National Mental or by mail to the Department of Local Government, GPO Box R1250, Perth WA 6844. The Edwards want Health Commission, to know whether Telephone 08 6552 1500 if you have queries about accessing the report or submitting WA’s Stokes review he was warned comments. and the parliamentary- adequately, or whether The closing date for public comment is Friday, 5 April 2013. appointed council of the hospital took offi cial visitors’ annual adcorp F80271 appropriate measures report. in response to the heightened risk of Physical health suicide. Before admission to “Most Australians Alma Street, Anthony • Mary Connor and Cathy and Ian Edwards fear anti- may not know psychotic drugs may be leading to increased suicides Inn Australia’sAustrralia’s mostmost multiculturalmulticultural statestate, had not touched illicit treatments with drugs in eight years, amongst Alma Street patients prescribed psychiatric Kulcha’sKuulcha’s artsarts activitiesactivities breakbreak downdown barriers and bindbind was weaning himself drugs may lead to ourouur diversedid verse communitycommunity totogether.gether. » DonateDonate to our 30th off alcohol to stop further liver worse physical health,” reports AnAnniversarynnivev rsary CampaignCampaign and helphelp us toto buildbuild a vibrant,vibrant, damage and was lowering the ‘A Contributing Life: the 2012 hahharmoniousrmoniouss ffuture.ututururee.. FFindinind more ddetailsetails aatt kulcha.com.aukulcha.com.au doses of clozapine he was taking He was not a suicide National Report Card on Mental to deal with his illness. Health and Suicide Prevention’. “This is when he was risk for that whole The recent WA review by becoming the old Anthony,” Mr retired neurosurgeon Bryant Edwards told the Herald. time, eight years. So Stokes raised the possibility “Our family doctor wrote why did they change that physical complaints are to Alma Street supporting sometimes interpreted as Anthony’s request to remain his medication? psychosomatic symptoms. off anti-psychotic medications - Cathy Edwards Prof Stokes says an because he believed his anonymous caller had expressed psychosis was related to his concern about side-eff ects such previous use of drugs,” Mr in state parliament. as increasing suicidal thoughts, Edwards said.

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