Nick Glozier writes: The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-5) has copped the predicted criticisms since its release on the weekend. Most centre on the idea thatmore of us will be diagnosed with mental disorders, as the diagnostic thresholds are lowered. Critics have also argued these thresholds will lead to [...]

Julie Leask and Hal Willaby write: A recent News Limited campaign to enable childcare centres in NSW to refuse entry to unvaccinated children is gaining momentum, with the legislation expected to be introduced to NSW parliament this week. The proposal stems from a public outcry about vaccination rates arising from profound levels of support that most Australians have for [...]

Jayashri Kulkarni: Women admitted to psychiatry wards experience high levels of violence and sexual assaults, according to a report released this week by the Victorian Mental Illness Alliance Council. Across the nine different psychiatry hospital wards surveyed in Victoria, 85% of female inpatients felt unsafe during hospitalisation, 67% reported experiencing sexual or other forms of harassment [...]

Olav Nielssen writes:  Just when we thought we were heading for a more tolerant and accepting attitude toward people afflicted by mental illness, a feature and a news article in Saturday’s The Australian quoting leaders in the area of forensic psychiatry have revived the old mental-illness-equals-axe-murderer stigma. One of the articles was based on a recent paper published in the journal Acta Psychiatrica [...]

In the seventh part of The Conversation’s series Health Rationing, Richard Norman and Rosalie Viney explain the controversial system governments use to decide what will and won’t be covered under Australia’s universal health system. They write:  With finite health budgets and the prospect of infinite ways to spend funds, rationing inevitably occurs. But how do policymakers come to decisions [...]

In the sixth part of The Conversation’s series Health Rationing, Mark Mackay examines the latest think tank blueprint to rein in Australia’s rising health costs. But he warns that before funding models are adjusted, governments must make some tough decisions about the type of health care they’re willing to pay for. He writes: In recent weeks, [...]

Hal Swerissen writes: The announcement that opposition leader Tony Abbott will support a 0.5% increase to the Medicare Levy to fund the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) takes the politics out of about half the additional funding needed for the scheme – for a while, at least. Prime Minister Julia Gillard will introduce legislation to pass the levy through [...]

In the fourth part of The Conversation’s series Health Rationing, Peter Sivey, Senior Research Fellow at the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economics, explains why it might be time to abandon Medicare’s fee-for-service model. He writes:  Teachers aren’t paid a fee for each lesson they teach, nor are police officers paid for each arrest they make. [...]

With health costs rising and costly medical innovations on the horizon, it’s crunch time for health funding. But what are the options to rein in costs, and how can governments make these tough decisions? Stephen Duckett and Cassie McGannon write:  Health spending is eating up more and more of government budgets, both state and federal. [...]

Anthony Scott writes: Any mention of the “R” word in health care immediately brings to mind cuts to services and not being able to access care. It also conjures images of penny-pinching bureaucrats, managers and accountants who have nothing better to do but crack the fiscal whip. Politicians publicly avoid the “R” word if they can; while [...]