Profoundly deaf people, particularly those deaf from birth or an early age, have needs which are not being met by the existing psychiatric services and institutions, says Pat Dugdale, Field Officer in Wellington for the New Zealand Association of the Deaf.
Next week is Mental Health Week, which aims to raise public awareness on a number of mental health issues. Dozens of groups will be taking part in a variety of ways throughout the region.
Mrs Dugdale, who is herself profoundly deaf, says that there is reason to believe that there are a number of deaf people in psychiatric institutions who were placed there simply because they were deaf, mute, and illiterate, rejected by their families and with nowhere else to go. Two such cases have recently come to light at Lake Alice Hospital, she says.
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“Deafness involves an amount of stress on the personality that can make any emotional or social problem more severe and intractable, and can distort or destroy human relationships,” said Mrs Dugdale.
On the other hand, counselling — for instance, in marriage guidance — depends on fluent communication between the counsellor and the client, and treatment for psychiatric disorders depends on direct communication between the psychiatrist and the patient.
In the case of profoundly deaf people who may have poor speech and little ability to read and write, communication may be very difficult and uncertain, and there is a real risk of incorrect diagnosis and treatment, she said.
In March 1983 a group of fifth-year medical students at Wellington’s Clinical School of Medicine did some research at the request of the Field Officer for the Deaf into the question: “Is there a need for a special psychiatric service for the deaf?”
This research turned up the interesting fact that among a group of 116 patients at Porirua Hospital, where statistically one person with severe or profound deafness would have been expected, there were six such people. The students recommended that special psychiatrists should be trained in Total Communication (the recently developed system of sign language for the deaf) to improve treatment for deaf psychiatric patients, and that all admissions to psychiatric hospitals should include a mandatory hearing test.
They also suggested that more should be done to prevent the development of psychiatric disorders where deafness might be a major contributing factor, Mrs Dugdale said.
Tony served as President of the New Zealand Association of the Deaf from 1999 to 2003. At the time, the focus was on supporting Deaf youth – not relocating. But when asbestos was discovered in the ceiling of the New Lynn building, with removal costs estimated at $600,000, a major decision had to be made. With support from a funder willing to underwrite the risk, the building was sold and a new location was secured. The Avondale office officially opened in November 1999.
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John talks about his experiences working as the first Deaf Field Officer for the Deaf Association – two and half years – and the infamous ‘Deaf nod.’
NZSL story – Taonga source: Tony Walton
Tony Walton on Building a More Accessible Deaf Aotearoa
Tony reflects on his involvement with the New Zealand Association of the Deaf (now Deaf Aotearoa). In 1989, during the World Deaf Games, New Zealand had only two or three qualified NZSL interpreters – a serious shortage. NZDSA was strongly sign-based, while the NZAD board leaned more oral. After the Games, Tony joined NZAD as a delegate to learn how it worked, eventually becoming President. His focus was on Deaf youth, leading to the creation of Friends of Young Deaf (FYD), better Māori engagement and involvement with more NZSL interpreters. One key goal was to have 13 interpreters nationwide, giving every major town and city access. Interpreter pay and access were limited back then – very different from today.
