Mental health patient calls for improved regional services to reduce trauma

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19 hours ago

Patients receiving public mental health care in regional New South Wales, and their families, claim the system is broken.
They say critical gaps in care are traumatising people and leading to tragic consequences.
WARNING: This story contains discussion of suicide and sexual abuse and may be distressing for some readers.
It follows an ABC Four Corners investigation documenting the mental health crisis in major Sydney hospitals.
Carers and patients have contacted the ABC claiming the mental health system in the regions was under mounting pressure even before a mass walkout of public psychiatrists earlier this year.
Jane — her real name withheld for privacy reasons — has been receiving treatment for clinical depression, borderline personality disorder and suicidal ideation in the Illawarra mental health system for more than 20 years.
She said she lost all trust in the public system when she was allegedly sexually assaulted while heavily sedated in an Illawarra mental health unit more than a decade ago.
"I can, I remember their faces because they were laughing at me during the assault," she said.
Jane said she was traumatised by the incident and did not feel safe reporting the assault while still in the unit.
She said the experience still impacted the way she engaged with mental health services.
The ABC contacted the lllawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District (ISLHD) about Jane's allegation to which they responded in a statement to say it "has not received a formal complaint matching the allegations raised".
"NSW Health staff are required to share information with NSW Police about reports of sexual assault if the alleged perpetrator is identified as a NSW Health staff member," a spokesperson said.
Jane said she had been unable to access a psychiatrist on an ongoing basis and claimed the lack of continuity of care felt like she was being pushed out of the system.
"There is little to no access to psychiatrists once you have left hospital or if you have been treated as an outpatient within a community mental health service," she said.
In an effort to seek psychiatric help, Jane visited a private practitioner she could not afford.
"I ended up paying $800 for a one-hour video consult, of which I received $245 back on Medicare," she said.
Jane's mental health counsellor, Jodie Park, said continuity of care was important for patients such as Jane.
"She can access a very short-term mental health intervention after a presentation to emergency, but it's not an ongoing thing," Dr Park said.
"So she gets some very short-term advice and support, she may have a suggestion of a different diagnosis, but then she doesn't have any continuation of care to check on that stuff."
Dr Park said on one occasion, Jane, unable to book a psychiatric consultation, stopped taking a medication that was giving her nightmares.
"It is really dangerous if you need medication to remain stable," Dr Park said.
ISLHD said it provided treatment in the community and in a hospital setting, including emergency care and short terms interventions.
It said it tailored treatment to the needs of the individuals and, where relevant, their family and carers.
Burrill Lake resident Carolyn Hogan said she noticed gaps in mental health support when her son Connor, who lived with schizophrenia, was discharged from care.
Connor had been regularly attending Queanbeyan Mental Health Service to receive his medication intravenously as an outpatient.
In early 2022 he was deemed stable and discharged with oral medication.
Ms Hogan said her son eventually stopped taking his medication and became unwell again, suffering psychotic episodes.
"I didn't really know what to do at that stage," Ms Hogan said.
"Several months later he just sneakily took his own life with the medication that was prescribed to him supposedly to help him with his schizophrenia.
She said there was a shortfall when people were discharged with a serious mental illness.
"There is nothing, you are just discharged into the ether," she said.
Ms Hogan said prior to her son's death, her only avenue for care was the emergency department which she knew would worsen his psychosis.
"It is entirely inappropriate for the staff who are not trained for these scenarios, or for the patients which require specialised attention," she said.
"Anyone else with a life-threatening illness would never be discharged and left to fend for themselves."
A spokesperson for the Southern NSW Local Health District said "we extend our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Connor Hogan".
The LHD said it would not comment on Connor Hogan's case for privacy reasons but said "wherever possible, staff involved consumers, their families, and carers in decisions about admission, transfer, leave, and in discharge planning".
In January, more than 180 public health psychiatrists were set to resign due to concerns over working conditions.
Many had since taken up work as locums or casuals across various regions.
The deputy chair of the NSW College of Psychiatrists, Ian Korbel, said this made it unlikely patients would continue to see the same psychiatrist.
"It means that there is a difficulty with continuity of care, especially in the community teams, where if you were to see a psychiatrist the chance of you seeing the same psychiatrist again would be very low," Dr Korbel said.
He said he believed the community teams, designed to keep patients out of hospitals, were not being prioritised.
"The difficulty is we have had quite a large increase in demand for that type of service and we haven't had any increase in workforce — and that precedes any resignations.
A NSW Health spokesperson acknowledged ongoing difficulties due to a shortage of psychiatrists.
"We are doing all we can to ensure we have as many appropriately qualified professionals available to perform the very important functions of psychiatrists in the public health system," the spokesperson said.
"More visiting medical officers and locums are being employed, a psychiatry workforce plan will roll out from 2026, and the current budget has allocated $30.4 million to expand community mental health teams across targeted areas."
Overall, the NSW government said it was investing more than $3.1 billion in mental health services in 2025-26.