Letters

Your 20 April issue demonstrated all that is worst about paternalistic attitudes in healthcare.

Matt Muijen ('Community spirit', pages 14-15) asks: 'What is democracy all about if one or two ministers can override the wishes of the majority?' Perhaps it is about the will of the voters you refer to (Comment, page 17) in the need to 'placate public opinion' and whose 'prejudices' are reflected by tabloid newspapers. Don't they constitute the majority?

Democracy is not always the best way to deal with ignorance. When will we have an effective policy for informing the public about mental health issues? When, too, will society stop expecting the mental health service to deal with offending behaviour not caused by a mental health problem?

Michael Baybutt Herne Bay Kent