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16 JUNE, 2026

Mental health gap By Glenn Fisher Despina Havelas understandably fi nds it difficult to fi nd much humour in the tragic loss of her younger sister less than two months ago after a long battle with a mental health illness. But a doll is the one and only keepsake from the belongings of Dr Anastasia Kalantzis that brings a smile to the Keilor Downs woman’s face. Not just any doll. “Ana loved horror movies and heavy metal music like Metallica and Megadeath, and I’ve kept her Chucky doll to remind me what a vibrant, bubbly, spirited woman she was,” Despina said.

We just want more rights for caregivers, so others don’t have to go through what we did - Despina Havelas While Ana’s doll from the Child’s Play horror movie franchise might help lighten the mood for Despina and her daughter Aristea, the fact they were not legally allowed to know about Ana’s medication or treatment plan during and after any of the numerous stays inside a mental health facility defi nitely remains a bone of contention. Ana’s long battle with her mental health ended shortly after she was discharged from the last in a long line of public and private mental health facilities across Melbourne and returned home to be with her 80-year-old mother in Glenroy. Dr Kalantzis was a respected lecturer at the Royal Dental Hospital in Melbourne and in dentistry at the University of Melbourne, admired and acclaimed for her compassion and dedication to dentistry, education and mental health advocacy. She was 44. Now a new battle has started, with Despina and Aristea pushing for Victoria’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Act (2022) to be either changed or for a nationwide piece of legislation to cover all states and territories.

Despina Havelas and daughter Aristea Havelas, holding a photo of Anastasia Kalantzis. (Damjan Janevski) 558849_01

“Whenever Ana was in a facility, we as caregivers and close family members had no legal right to get information about her medication, treatment plan or to even be included in discussions about her health, because it’s all deemed as private,” Despina said. “We just want more rights for caregivers, so others don’t have to go through what we did. “Ana was discharged without a safety plan, and there was no discussion about her family history or past. We could see the change in her every time she was discharged, but the medical people in those facilities couldn’t,” she said. “She stopped eating, her mood changed … we know she was masking her illness to the medical staff while in those facilities.” Since Ana’s death, Despina and Aristea have attempted to contact and meet with

state MPs from both sides of parliament, to raise concerns about the current legislation blocking loved ones from getting access to more information about a patient. While changing the laws is the aim, Aristea says they are not on any political witch hunt. “Mental health is not a political issue, it is both a health and educational issue,” she said. “We are just trying to help the process, not hinder it.” On Friday, Deputy Premier Ben Carroll’s office notified Despina that he would be “unable to meet” with them to discuss mental health in Victoria and sent his “best wishes”. Star Weekly also sent a list of questions to Mental Health Minister Ingrid Stitt last week, but there had been no response

before this newspaper’s deadline. While Despina and Aristea can never get Ana back, her memory will live on after the family started the Anastasia Kalantzis Memorial Dentistry Scholarship (advancement.lat robe.edu.au/g iv ing/ anas-legacy) in partnership with La Trobe University, where Ana completed her bachelor of health sciences/master of dentistry at the Bendigo campus. Donations will help support students pursuing a pathway into dentistry, who demonstrate a dual commitment to dentistry and mental health. If you, or anyone you know, is experiencing mental health challenges and/or dealing with suicidal thoughts, contact Lifeline on 131114, the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636.

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