Who do you think you are?
LESSONS FROM THE PAST
On May 7th 2013, an episode of the popular SBS program “Who Do You Think You Are?” featured actress Susie Porter, who traced her family back several generations and discovered that her grandmother and great- grandmother had mental illnesses and spent a large part of their lives in Psychiatric Institutions.
Professor Jayashri KULKARNI, Director of MAPrc, was filmed in this episode, discussing the impact of such institutions on people with mental illnesses in the past, and focussed on the struggles that women in particular faced. Jayashri visited Callan Park, Sydney, with Susie Porter and together they explored the awful conditions of the former wards of that now decommissioned large Psychiatric Institution.
The episode is an important reminder about the shameful past history of Psychiatric Institutions.
The main aim that MAPrc has is “to develop new treatments, new understanding and new services” for people with mental illnesses and we will continue with our work to further improve the treatments and mode of delivery of care for people with mental illnesses in the 21st century.
