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Seeking help through the hospital

Posted By family73

"Seeking help through the hospital"

About: Bunbury Mental Health

(as a service user),

I have recently tried to contact and make an appointment with Mental health after a refreral from my GP. It has taken me quite some courage to get to this point of reaching out, have had a year of suicidal ideation and am now seeking help to do with child sexual abuse and other trauma.

I have been to the Mental Health Clinic in the past and was hoping to reconnect with my Pschychiatrist and make a solid plan to begin healing and also to perhaps find an advocate for any court cases that might need to be attended to. When I spoke to the triage nurse I felt they were very discouraging of me making an appointment and suggested I go elsewhere.

I understand that I can't get counselling there but I have not presented to them with this particular stuff and just wanted to get the right person or team to get the help I need so that I don't fall back to where I have been in the last year. I was asked to read my referral over the phone and then asked what it was exactly I was wanting to go there for? I felt like I was being treated as unimportant or without any sensitivity. Is this just because I have Borderline Personality written on my record? I was diagnosed in the past with Bipolar and that was apparently incorrect. Who diagnoses PTSD? How are my psychologists to know what my issues are? Why should I have to share such painful news over the phone to see if I am wasting my time by going there.

I had to read the letter out and as soon as ADHD was mentioned it was, we don't deal with that stuff here. That's not what I was going there for? I asked to speak to someone else so I could just book my appointment. By then I felt emotionally stressed and couldn't stop crying. That's when the person, I believe, decided that perhaps there was an appointment available. Why should I have to go through that? In my opinion, the Mental Health System needs to retrain their staff. I feel like I can't reach out now.

I've been given a number for Warratah but I believe I will have to retell my story instead of having something to take from a psychiatrist. This is the first time I have truly stood up for myself coming out with my family and the police about what I have suffered. How am I to take my power back when I feel powerless to the people I reach out to. I can't afford a private psychiatrist but will have to continue with them until I can organise someone else or some sort of assistance somewhere else.

I will ask my doctor to help me find another way. I felt my doctor was very concerned and supportive to my wanting to heal and tried to direct me to the best place to get help from a support team to get me through. I've noticed when coming onto the website that the service provided is listed. I was not provided with that in my recent experience. These are people's lives being, I believe, turned away. Why would someone want to go there if they didn't feel desperate for help. I'm crushed and have lost faith in the system.

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Responses

Response from Debbie Easther, Regional Manager Mental Health, WA Country Health Service - SW 2 years ago
We are preparing to make a change
Debbie Easther
Regional Manager Mental Health,
WA Country Health Service - SW

Manage Mental Health Services in the South West

Submitted on 30/06/2021 at 4:29 PM
Published on Care Opinion at 4:29 PM

picture of Debbie Easther

Dear family73,

I am very grateful that you have taken the time to provide feedback on your recent experience of the Bunbury Mental Health Clinic. I am so sorry to read about your experience and the barriers you faced in trying to reconnect with your psychiatrist. I understand that it can be very difficult reaching out for help and I am truly sorry that you felt you were being discouraged from making an appointment with the team. I would like you to know that it is important to me that we make sure that all people who present to our service are supported to receive the appropriate care and support that they need and there are a number of things that we can learn in hearing your story.

At times, we do ask people to provide details or context about their referrals over the phone in order to guide and streamline our triage processes. When trying to gain further insight, it is certainly not our intention for people to feel the need to re-tell their stories without the appropriate supports in place, or to add any additional emotional stress or pressure.

I would also like to let you know that the WA Country Health Service (WACHS) is committed to implementing the principles of trauma-informed care throughout the organisation and our WACHS Mental Health Team is currently developing a plan to do this; which will include training to all employees to support implementation.

In the meantime, I would very much like the opportunity to review your situation and see how we can better support you. So that I can do this, I would really appreciate if you could you please contact our Customer Liaison Officer on (08) 9722 1521 and ask to speak with me. My name is Debbie Easther and I am the Regional Manager for Mental Health. You won’t have to retell your story - simply provide your contact details so that I can call you about your concerns.

Thanks again for taking the time to provide this feedback, and I hope to hear from you soon.

Warm regards

Debbie Easther

Regional Manager, Mental Health.

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful

Update posted by family73 (a service user)

Thank you Debbie. I am working towards calling you and hope that I am able to organise the help that I was seeking without having to go through that experience again. I am scared of being treated in the same manner but will try to have faith and make contact soon.

Update posted by family73 (a service user)

Just made a phone call to the recommended service that the triage nurse suggested, and because I didn't have a referral from my Psychiatrist I will be waiting weeks or possibly months before I can speak to someone. Had I had my referral I would have been able to see someone sooner. 😢

Response from Debbie Easther, Regional Manager Mental Health, WA Country Health Service - SW 2 years ago
Debbie Easther
Regional Manager Mental Health,
WA Country Health Service - SW

Manage Mental Health Services in the South West

Submitted on 15/07/2021 at 2:04 PM
Published on Care Opinion at 2:26 PM

picture of Debbie Easther

Hi family73. Thanks for reaching out to our Customer Liaison.

I will give you a call today to provide support.

Warm regards

Debbie Easther

Regional Manager Mental Health

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful

Update posted by family73 (a service user)

Hello Debbie.

Since our chat I have struggled with anxiety more than ever. I have come to the point where I feel unable to reach out for help and struggle to leave my home to make it to therapy, doctors appointments let alone mental health. I barely cope with day to day life and still have to try out on a parent face which is getting hard to do.

I believe I never did receive any update of what has been done about the way I was treated. I felt there was no acknowledgement by the triage nurse or their employer. I didn't expect an apology, but acknowledgment at least. I am scared of being rejected again and handballed from one place to another which I feel has constantly happened since my first attempt to contact mental health. It has lead to a downward spiral and severe depression and isolation of myself due to others not being able to help or understand me as I am unable to share my trauma with just anyone.

I have been to hospital twice, one which required two nights stay due to not coping, welfare checks from concerned family and an ambulance bill after breaking down. I to scared to call the Bunbury Mental Health Clinic for fear of being turned away by the triage nurse or being treated badly. I am so crushed and hurt by the system. I'm certain I am not the only one.

From that date of reaching out I have become more and more broken. There has been no follow up. Just a big messy circle of anxiety and fear of not being heard. And so I will continue on with what I believe is the wrong diagnosis due to this. I have found no reassessment and no understanding by Centrelink of what the situation is which affects my family financially whenever I get cut-off because I haven't been able to get out and look for work or get yet another medical certificate.

We may think that one little unkind act won't be such a big deal in someone else's future, But it is. And not just mine.

May I suggest that triage nurses and others employed by mental health department do a course with The Blue Knot Foundation so that they are better equipped to understand what a person dealing with trauma needs.

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