Alina

‘Due to the misdiagnosis, I've got a lifelong physical disability. I missed out on many formative experiences during my adolescence. I lost all my friends and was separated from my mum at the most terrifying time of my life.’

Alina is in her 30s. She has a brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder from time spent in a psychiatric ward as a teenager.

At high school, doctors misdiagnosed a genetic condition with anxiety, Alina told the Royal Commission. ‘So I was prescribed antidepressants which gave me severe side-effects including self-harming and suicidal behaviour.’

After being admitted to a children's hospital for treatment, Alina’s suicidal behaviour ‘increased in severity as the medication was increased’. It was a ‘known potential side-effect’. Her mother wanted Alina off the drugs but doctors refused.

‘So mum withdrew consent for the treatment and requested for me to be transferred to a different hospital.’

Doctors responded by applying for Alina to become a ward of the state.

And so, Alina said, the ‘punitive, negligent and traumatising’ treatment continued. The mental health team put her in isolation and used restrictive practices on her.

‘I was detained for weeks on end in a small locked area … The hospital didn't let me see my mum or have visitors for extended periods … I went without human touch for many months at a time.’

Alina said medical staff treated her like ‘a specimen’ and ‘punished’ her when she self-harmed.

‘If I had difficulty eating, I would be forcibly, roughly and painfully restrained by multiple staff members who would force a nasogastric tube up my nose to feed me. They told me they were using the largest tube possible because I deserved to feel discomfort because of my bad behaviour.’

Alina was not allowed outside or even to talk to other patients. She felt ‘like a criminal’.

Workers often ‘crash-tackled’ her to the ground when she tried to escape.

‘And I'd be left with lots of bruises. I think the practices amounted to inhumane treatment in many circumstances.’

The hospital never gave Alina ‘access to a lawyer or an understanding of what was going on or when it would end’.

‘I think my story illustrates a number of systemic issues relating to the inappropriate use of child protection proceedings in the context of medical treatment. This practice disproportionately affects children with disabilities and their families, and denies them the right to family life.’

Alina said that during her time on the ward, doctors ‘disregarded genetic tests’ showing that the drugs were harmful to her.

After a couple of years, a mental health review tribunal overturned the treatment order.

‘And that's what eventually led to my being discharged and allowed me to stop taking medication. And within two months my symptoms had disappeared.’

Alina returned to school and has never had ‘any similar kind of mental health episodes’ since.

‘This confirms that the illness was caused by the medical system.’

Today she’s on a ‘simple treatment’ and has NDIS supports.

‘I had to learn to walk and talk, and the brain injury still affects me every day. I need substantial daily support for physical activities.’

Alina believes none of this would have happened if doctors had ‘taken the time to do a simple blood test.’

She won a case of damages against the hospital and has ‘done very well’ in her profession despite battling discrimination.

‘As soon as I disclosed my disability, they’d simply withdraw the job offer, decided I wasn't fit. I've lost significant income and missed out on many career opportunities, but I'm proud of what I've overcome.’