This is an opinion piece that reflects my personal views on the Therapeutic Goods Administration in Australia. It was published with the support of Mind Medicine Australia to advocate for the rescheduling of psychedelic drugs.
From a mother to the TGA
I am writing this as a mother on behalf of all the Australian mothers who watch on helplessly as their children suffer from mental illness. I write in the hope that my words may open the closed minds of our politicians, the TGA and the RANZCP, who we rely upon to ensure every Australian has access to the latest medical therapies.
Many Australian families live with the devastating impact of PTSD and severe depression. We now know that with the current treatment of anti- depressants and anti- psychotic drugs available in Australia, there is only a 5% chance of these suffers getting well. These families live with the fear that they could lose their children to the ever present possibility of suicide. They have journeyed, often for years and watched their children suffer as they have tried every treatment available to them. The whole family is profoundly impacted by the illness. Our current mental health system has failed these families and their children. We need answers. We need treatment. And, we need it now. Tomorrow some of these young people may not be here.
Unless you have lived with the fear of your child taking their own life, you will never truly know how it feels. Thousands of mothers, live with that fear every day. Now, these families are offered real hope, maybe for the first time ever. maybe the roller coaster that has cost them so much, can finally stop. maybe there can be healing and peace. Just maybe.....
The work with treatment resistant PTSD using Medicinal MDMA , which is often confused with the recreational drug Ecstasy which is frequently adulterated with more dangerous, substances and taken in a dangerous environment and with the mushroom based Medicinal Psilocybin for depression (which in its natural form comes from certain mushrooms), is very, very promising. Many leading specialists in this area are confident that these treatments offer real hope. Families know, that no treatment, even the current ones advocated by our government, is without risks and that the answers are not simple. But they deserve hope.
Clinical trials with medicinal MDMA conducted overseas shows remission rates between 60-80% for treatment resistant PTSD. Families and doctors were confident Australia would embrace this research in an applied way. Surely, the TGA would act when potentially one of the greatest shifts in psychiatric medicine is knocking on the door? You can imagine the public dismay when the TGA refused to reschedule MDMA in its recent interim order. The news was heartbreaking.
The irony is that the TGA is already authorising requests from psychiatrists to use these medicines with therapy under its Special Access Scheme, but their listing as a prohibited substance in Schedule 9 of the Poisons Standard, means that there is no ability to get State and Territory approval, which is a requirement for therapeutic use.
I contacted the TGA for answers and found their response deeply disturbing to sufferers and their families. Their justifications demonstrated bias and entrenched thinking. I contacted the RANZCP in the hope that they would show the capacity to lead us out of this crisis. It was clear that they do not accept the facts which are undeniable and globally supported by leading experts, that these treatments are a viable and safe treatment option.
These bodies MUST begin to rely upon the validated data generated by the wider medical community. Do they suggest the outstanding research done at the leading Universities around the world is not valid or sufficient? Do they believe that countries that have enabled psychiatrists to use these therapies under Expanded Access Schemes have done so without high levels of regard? These therapies have been given Breakthrough Therapy Designation by the US Regulator- our children should be given every opportunity to access these therapies in Australia. Sadly, the Australian community is losing trust in the ability of our institutions to lead us forward. They risk becoming irrelevant as more and more Australians seek treatment illegally by underground therapists.
I contacted every Australian Senator and, the common response I have received was “ we are sorry for your suffering but it is in the hands of the TGA and RANZCP”. These responses reveal that the TGA and RANZCP have too much power and beyond that of even my elected representatives. I elected my politicians to speak for me, and, as yet, few seem willing to ask if these bodies are advising them correctly and acting in the best interests of Australians. Who will challenge them on my behalf? Has my government forgotten they are here to serve Australians?
I speak also for those who don’t have a voice. For the lives already lost and for the families too enmeshed in simply surviving to speak out. Our nation is in a mental health crisis where 1 in 5 Australians have a chronic mental health condition and at least 1 in 8 are on antidepressants including 1 in 4 older adults and 1 in 30 young children.
Australia should be leading the world in treatment, but instead our system is on its knees, bogged down by regressive thinking that places us as one of the poorest performing countries. We need innovation and leadership from our politicians and our medical establishment. We can make Australia a leader in this field. I imagine a day when the world looks to us. A day when no Australian suffers unnecessarily or dies from a treatable mental health illness.
I have NO doubt that the tide is turning and we will see these medicines rescheduled. The push from Australians like myself, WILL bring about this change. I believe the government knows this too. They know they WILL lose the battle but don’t seem to care about those that will die in the final days of this“war”.
So, it’s time. Enough procrastination, posturing and politics. Our representatives MUST do the job that we have a right to expect of them. I need actions, not just words.
Until then, I will shout from the roof tops, that my government is failing Australians and that is just not good enough.
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