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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Kamran Ahmed

I am a psychiatrist covering Bondi. We need to invest in mental health services, not stigmatise people

Joel Cauchi Mental Health Schizophrenia Police
People lay flowers outside the Bondi Junction shopping mall in Sydney after Saturday’s mass stabbing attack
People lay flowers outside the Bondi Junction shopping mall in Sydney after the mass stabbing carried out by Joel Cauchi, who had a diagnosed mental illness since the age of 17, reportedly schizophrenia. Photograph: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images

The devastating scenes that unfolded in Bondi Junction on Saturday took place a mere 3km from where I live – and in the catchment area I cover as a psychiatrist. Like others, I am still trying to process the shock of it all and thinking of those grieving for their loved ones.

Predictably, certain commentators pounced on the opportunity to stir up racial hatred, falsely claiming it was an Islamist terror attack before any details were apparent. In fact, the perpetrator was Joel Cauchi, a 40-year-old Queensland man with no known ties to terrorist ideology.

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