When I think about involuntary treatment for severe mental illness, the old saying “between the devil and the deep blue sea” comes to mind.  

I was reminded of this after reading the AusDoc story about the psychiatrist who had previously treated the “Westfield killer”, five years before the tragic incident.

In this sense, clinicians at the sharp end of psychiatry have something in common with child safety workers.

If welfare department staff remove a child from a family, they can be abused or threatened, accused of breaking families and ruining lives.