Mixed message removed

A poorly considered sign outside Masterton Medical Centre has caused consternation and confusion.

The handwritten sign – which read “If your heart was really broken, you would be dead so shut up…” – had allegedly been placed outside the centre for several days before being removed on Tuesday after a complaint.

Local advocate for mental health Debra Lodge-Schnellenberg said she became “very, very angry” when she saw the sign.

“From a mental health perspective, what was Masterton Medical thinking?” she asked.

Lodge-Schnellenberg said the matter was dealt with swiftly after she emailed the general manager but she remains concerned about what the sign says about the medical centre’s attitude to mental health crises.

She called the sign “arrogant” and wondered why the centre’s management allowed the message to be displayed in the first place.

Lodge-Schnellenberg said that she understood why some people might be amused by the message – which appears to be an internet meme – but insisted that when you are a practice looking after people with mild to moderate mental health issues, it simply isn’t acceptable.

Masterton Medical declined to make any comment about the sign when initially approached by the Times-Age, then provided a brief statement that neglected to mention its origins or purpose.

“Unfortunately management were not aware of the message on the sign out front of Masterton Medical,” the statement said.

“We deeply regret the incident and sincerely apologise for any stress or anguish this may have caused our patients.”

In a presumably unrelated coincidence, the day that the sign was removed coincided with the United Nations’ World Mental Health Awareness Day.