"Mental health treatment concerns"

As an individual with bipolar I have been to Wodonga hospital over many years quite a few times. 

1. I understand I was given steroids and, in copious amounts. I believe another doctor even swore when they realised what I had been given and how much and I believe swore again at staff. I feel this cost me close to a year of my life. I am a single parent and the mania I think they set me off with, I will never recover from fully, because of the effect it had on not only me but my child and extended family. 

2. When I present, my history is available I assume, as I have a file there. I feel I get treated like a drug seeker even though I have no history of it. 

3. I am intelligent and fairly articulate, however, I believe it is assumed that the bipolar has an impact on my intellect, and I feel I am treated as such. 

4. What I feel to be the rudeness of the front of house staff in emergency is just baffling. In my opinion, they are rude, condescending and after waiting for 3 hours once and asking if I would be close to being seen, was spoken to, I feel, disgustingly. Told to sit and I would be seen when they were ready. 

One night recently I had my parent take me to emergency. A patient was, I believe, crying near me and because of where they were situated, they were looking at reception as was I, having nowhere else to look. One of the staff laughed, I believe, and I recall said, do they think if they look at us we will get them in sooner. My child had attempted suicide and I was there as this had set off an episode for me and I needed some intervention so that I could continue to support them. I told the staff I heard what they said and I believe they both laughed and called me paranoid.

I feel, if it’s not your calling, don’t do the job. If you are repelled by patients, do another job.

In my opinion, as patients, we deserve to have some dignity, not have it stripped because staff are apparently having a bad day and a power trip.