Patrick McGorry's Delorean Proposal...FAIL

A recent poll undertaken by Psychiatry Update, an e-newsletter and website with the latest psychiatry news from Australia and overseas, has shown that almost 60% of psychiatrists think the Federal Government’s focus on Patrick McGorry's Early Psychosis Prevention and Intervention Centre [EPPIC] (1) is inappropriate. Over 50% of psychiatrists who took the poll also believe that EPPIC puts young people at risk of being over medicated.


Out of the 222 who took the survey, 121 were psychiatrists, almost half of whom also left comments

Psychiatry Update writes:

Among the non-psychiatrists, the biggest group was GPs (23.8%), followed by psychologists (21.8%) and then mental health nurses (12.9%).When asked about the risk of over-medication in EPPIC, 52.1% of psychiatrists thought it would put young people at risk of being over-medicated, with 14.9% “strongly agreeing” it would.A similar proportion of nonpsychiatrists also agreed.

This latest opposition to McGorry's DeLorean machine comes hot on the heels of a proposed clinical trial by McGorry.

McGorry, with the financial assistance of Seroquel manufacturer Astra Zeneca, wanted to carry out a clinical trial [of sorts] with children, among others, who had not yet been diagnosed with a psychotic illness. In other words, he wanted, it appears, to trial out Seroquel, a powerful antipsychotic, on subjects who, for all intents and purposes, had nothing wrong with them.

Psychiatrists, psychologists and researchers from all over the world lodged a complaint when they heard of the planned trial.

McGorry pulled the trial and now denies that the complaint had anything to do with his decision.

The planned trial, which was apparently 'ethically approved' is shrouded in mystery.

On Aug 16 2011, the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry [ANZCTR] showed that the planned study had NOT received approval from at least one ethics committee. Yet 6 days later the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry had been mysteriously amended and showed that the planned trial HAD received approval from at least one ethics committee.

Here's the rub, the icing on the cake if you will. McGorry pulled the trial, so he claims, in June 2011, almost two months before the ANZCTR showed that the planned study had NOT received approval from at least one ethics committee. Maybe the flux capacitor in his time travelling DeLorean was playing up or maybe the ANZCTR had been altered? It's fair to assume something smells here, isn't it?

I'm surprised none of the major Australian newspapers picked up on this 'faux pas'

Melbourne Health said its mental health research ethics committee was "satisfied the process and the decision to give ethics committee approval of the study were appropriate".

The health organisation said the study had been abandoned by the research team for "logistical reasons".

I wonder if they asked why the ANZCTR had miraculously changed overnight to show McGorry's planned trial had received approval?

It will be interesting to see if McGorry and his soothsaying henchmen respond to the Psychiatry Update poll. They have, in the past, slammed their critics and labelled them as an odd mix of armchair critics, conspiracy theorists and Scientologists.

The response from McGorry and Co should prove interesting, I anticipate that it will be published... 6 days ago and appear 6 days later - such is the power of the DeLorean posse.

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(1) The Early Psychosis Prevention and Intervention Centre (EPPIC) is an integrated and comprehensive psychiatric service aimed at addressing the needs of people aged 15-24 with emerging psychotic disorders in the western and north-western regions of Melbourne.

Related articles:


Patrick McGorry Responds to Criticism by Allen Frances

Psychiatrist Patrick McGorry Slams His Critics [Diddums]

The Defence of Prof. Ian Hickie




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Coroners Court files reveal violent deaths in Australian mental health facilities.

The Age, a popular Australian newspaper, yesterday highlighted the suppression behind Victorian mental health facilities, Victoria being the state of Australia, although more than likely the age of the facilities there too.

Data obtained by The Age revealed that 119 of the 502 coronial inquests held in Victoria between 2008 and 2010 involved people with diagnosed mental illnesses. Of those 119 mental health coronial cases, almost a third related to the deaths of patients while they were being treated at state-run and private mental health facilities, writes The Age, adding, that "36 people died unexpected, unnatural or violent deaths in Victorian mental health facilities between 2008 and 2010."



The newspaper has published an investigation into the deaths of three men who died in state-run psychiatric wards across Melbourne between 2007 and 2009: Adam White, 31, Anthony Travaglini, 40, and Jeffery Hartwig, 43.


Southern Health, the health service responsible for the care of Mr Hartwig and Mr White, tried to stop The Age from reporting. A suppression order was made but, it appears The Age have, rightly so, ran with the article.


The Age:

■ Mr Travaglini, who died in September 2008 at Eastern Health's Upton House psychiatric hospital in Box Hill, was killed by a combination of powerful anti-psychotic medications given to him by staff, according to a Victorian government pathologist. Staff and patients aware of the circumstances of his death say the 40-year-old was pleading not to be given more drugs on the night he died. Staff and patients also allege there was an attempt to conceal information about the circumstances of his death from his family.

■ Mr Hartwig died at the Monash Medical Centre in December 2009 after he went into a coma following a suspected overdose of illicit drugs supplied by unknown visitors. His family says the hospital's psychiatric ward kept no visitor log nor did it supervise visits to patients. Police sources say the hospital's legal department interfered with their investigation and ordered staff not to speak about the circumstances of Mr Hartwig's death.

■ Mr White's 2007 death at Dandenong Hospital's psychiatric ward during a struggle with security guards was the subject of a recent inquest. A finding has yet to be made, but evidence to the inquest suggests Mr White was asphyxiated while being held face down by security staff. A witness told the inquest that Mr White apparently yelled ''I give up'', but security did not ease off. He died soon after.


In what appears to be a feeble excuse, Victoria's chief psychiatrist, Ruth Vine claims, "..it is difficult to manage fairly large, fairly aggressive men and I think it is the case in some of these [deaths] that there was a degree of physical unwellness underlying.''

No shit doc! You ever asked yourself why they are "fairly large" and have "a degree of physical unwellness underlying?"

Medication, such as those used in psychiatric facilities, have been known to cause weight gain and psychotic episodes.

I applaud The Age for it's two-fingered salute to Southern Health and for highlighting the abhorrent abuse of human life.

Full article, by Richard Baker and Nick McKenzie can be read HERE




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