Despairing doctor’s plea to Premier on lockdown

A doctor who warned Daniel Andrews the lockdown was causing suicidal’ thoughts among children says he isn’t easing restrictions fast enough.

Melbourne doctor Stacey Harris, who has warned of the devastation caused by lockdowns, says restrictions must be eased faster. Picture: Aaron Francis

A Melbourne doctor who wrote an impassioned plea to Daniel Andrews warning him that the city’s lockdown was causing a devastating wave of mental “anguish, despair and suicidal” thoughts among children says he is not easing restrictions fast enough, even as case numbers fall.

Camberwell GP Stacey Harris and nine other doctors signed an open letter to the Victorian Premier revealing she was treating between 15 and 20 mental health conditions each day, compared with about five a day last year.

A week after sending the open letter, Dr Harris told The Australian the limited changes did not go far enough to repair the mental health damage wrought on the community. “I am relieved for the school kids but there is so much heartache out there with loss of jobs (and) social isolation causing huge mental health problems,” she said on Tuesday.

“Five people can meet in a park, and (some school children) go back. Those two things do not address the major mental health issues faced by many more. It’s huge. So basically it’s not enough for what he (Mr Andrews) has announced. We could be safely fully open, like in NSW.”

Last week, Dr Harris wrote: “I am a GP working in a large clinic in Melbourne and I have never in my 15 years of general practice seen such devastation with patients’ mental health.

“Due to the continuing harsh lockdown, the children, young adults and new mothers I mainly treat are in anguish, despair and have no hope. I have many 12-15-year-olds so depressed that I have no other option but to put them on anti-depressants.

“As this lockdown moves into months not weeks, access to psychiatrists and psychologists is now almost impossible and/or the wait is too long.

“Seeing children as young as 12 describe their darkest thoughts, some suicidal, is very disturbing. They cry how much they are missing school and friends.”

Melbourne was locked down in early July with the outbreak of the second coronavirus wave, which has claimed 775 lives and infected more than 18,000 people.

The three-month lockdown imposed a curfew, shut schools, threw a 5km limit on movement and was recognised as one of the toughest and longest regime of restrictions anywhere in the world.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews. Picture: Tim Carrafa

The Premier axed the curfew on Sunday, brought forward the easing of some restrictions and offered hope of a further relaxation in three weeks.

In the letter, Dr Harris and her medical colleagues said Melbourne could “reopen safely” with social distancing, wearing masks and washing hands still being employed to protect the vulnerable and elderly. “The purpose of this letter is to plead with you to look at what we can reopen safely,” they wrote. “As we see a lower daily case rate, now should be a time to work to reduce the unhealthy social isolation that has contributed to other adverse health outcomes.

“I see approximately 180-200 patients per week and it is disturbing what the effect lockdown is causing.”

The other doctors to have so-signed the open letter are: Lesley Hoy, Julie Doswell, Paul E. Gassin, David Anderson, Mary Walsh, Lucia Murnane, Roheela D’Cruz, James Quinn and John Murtagh.

The letter says new mothers are among those hardest hit by the lockdown. “I am doing many telehealth phone calls to distressed mothers alone with their newborns crying out for help.

“Post-natal depression is a huge concern,” Dr Harris writes.

“Premier Andrews, please consider revising the current Victorian road map to COVID normal. If we follow the data from overseas, as well as interstate experience which shows we can safely open up with more robust contact tracing, we can in your words, ‘learn to live with this virus safely’. “Striving for elimination comes at huge cost and may not even be achievable.

“Children need to return to school in term four and new mothers need social connectivity.

“This is my experience but there are many other concerned GPs and specialists who have -witnessed a similar trend and agree and endorse these sentiments. We have a huge health crisis on our hands which is much more than COVID-19.

“The World Health Organisation states that health is ‘a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’. Harsh lockdowns like here in Victoria are doing more harm than good. I implore you to review this urgently to provide hope for us all.”

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