Imagine someone you love is admitted to a public hospital because of mental ill-health. Or, indeed, imagine that it is you. It’s a precarious situation, a time of acute vulnerability. Assiduous care and protection is compelled – or so one would reasonably expect.

Almost two-thirds of those with mental ill-health get no treatment. Credit:Ken Irwin

But, curiously and lamentably, you or your loved one may be unsafe. The number of such patients being sexually assaulted, mostly by other patients, has been rising for years. And a fresh investigation by the Mental Health Complaints Commissioner reveals most allegations by mental health patients of sexual assault are not being reported to the police or the victims’ families. Based on data covering the past three years, the inquiry – which followed an investigation by The Age that uncovered rampant sexual assault of mental health patients – found that as few as a quarter of claims are reported to families, while only 40 per cent are reported to the police.

The commissioner says many incidents are not being categorised as sufficiently serious ‘‘to ensure proper escalation, monitoring, and oversight’’. The rating system appears flawed: sexual assault is not considered an event that could cause ‘‘serious harm’’ to a patient, so many cases are not even escalated to senior management. This should concern us all – morally and personally.

As many as half of us will at some stage experience mental ill-health. There are as many people in Australia today with depression as there are with a common cold – and there are even more with anxiety disorder. The total at any given time could be as high as 4 million. In Australia, suicide is the leading cause of death for people aged between 15 and 44; there is a crucial link between self-harm and mental illness.