Dear Piya,

according to an ABS report [1], one in five Australians has a
disability, including mental disorders. Another report I read some
time back revealed that out of the whole country, Queensland has the
highest rate of disability, including mental disorders. In November
2006, the Australian federal government introduced new benefits [2] to
the national Medicare scheme for treatment of mental illnesses. (It
may be something the Singapore government wants to consider.)

As a resident of Queensland, I feel sorry for the community. However,
I feel worse when I learn that there are many underqualified and
unqualified people practising here as psychologists and psychiatrists!
There are heaps of people attending part-time night courses pursuing
psycho-related qualifications, and Psychology is a famous option for
dual-degree (or double major) students. To me, it is a worrying trend.

I read about Psychosis [3] on Wikipedia, it seems like psychosis can
be treated. Not everyone are trained in the medical field, so when you
approach any monk or nun, he or she is very likely to be helpless. The
traditional one-liner reply is very much expected, although I expect a
better qualified person to advise your ex-student to consult a
qualified professional. It is not good for a Buddhist to give medical
advice if he/she is not trained in medicine. But, instead of telling
people to "transfer merit", this is the best time to share
information, knowledge and experience, as well as provide some
counseling and encouragement. As Buddhists, being compassionate means
helping others to improve their lives.

metta,
Yong Peng.

[1] http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/mf/4430.0?OpenDocument
[2] http://www.psychology.org.au/members/Medicare/6.18_7.asp
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychosis

--- In Pali@yahoogroups.com, Piya Tan wrote:

Today, one of my ex-students emailed saying that his brother has been
admitted into a local mental health institution because of psychosis.
He is told by Mahayana teachers that "merits" should be transferred to
him.

In times like this, I leave the finer points of Buddhism aside, and
simply say. may these suffering persons grow of their pains, as I am
pained too to know of such sufferings so close to me.