Grayson
Content Warning: These stories are about violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation and may include references to suicide or self-harming behaviours. They may contain graphic descriptions and strong language and may be distressing. Some narratives may be about First Nations people who have passed away. If you need support, please see Contact & support.
Grayson has a genetic disorder that affects his physical and mental health. He has congenital heart disease, a compromised immune system, a speech impediment, borderline personality disorder and insomnia. He is autistic and hearing impaired.
‘Despite all my health conditions I have been living independently in my own apartment for the past seven years, collecting my Centrelink pension, paying my bills, buying food, managing my personal hygiene as best I can.’
But Grayson told the Royal Commission he experiences regular abuse by the professionals who are meant to help him.
He doesn’t know ‘the correct channels’ to get medical assistance, so often ends up at the emergency department of the local hospital.
There, he says, he is bullied and harassed by the doctors and nurses. He has been left in the waiting room without seeing a doctor. Medical staff have accused him of abusing substances and often call security to remove him from the hospital.
Mostly this happens because he is ‘treated as a mental patient’ and his physical health symptoms are ignored.
Grayson has also been overmedicated by hospital staff and psychiatrists. He has been accused of hearing voices and being a danger to others when he’s not.
‘I was forced to take antipsychotic medication against my will by doctors and family because of the diagnosis of schizophrenia for years, which turned out to be a false … Hospital staff have called the police … held me down then force injected me … using chemical restraint against my will.’
Diagnostic overshadowing has had terrible repercussions on Grayson’s health.
Cuts on his skin have been left untreated, become infected and triggered psoriasis. Doctors ignored swelling in his feet until Grayson could no longer walk. When he contracted cellulitis he was sent home with oral tablets, instead of being put on intravenous antibiotics. Grayson said he ‘survived against the odds’.
‘Recently I lost the ability to walk and went to hospital to get help.’ Grayson had X-rays, but doctors still told him it was all in his head and he was ‘choosing not to walk’.
‘They … forced me to go home even though I couldn't walk … I was forced to crawl outside and get into a taxi.’
It wasn’t until Grayson’s mother requested his medical records they discovered he had a ‘bulging disks’ in his back preventing him from walking.
‘People with disabilities and/or mental health conditions should have equal access to health care,’ Grayson said.
Disclaimer: This is the story of a person who shared their personal experience with the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability through a submission or private session. The names in this story are pseudonyms. The person who shared this experience was not a witness and their account is not evidence. They did not take an oath or affirmation before providing the story. Nothing in this story constitutes a finding of the Royal Commission. Any views expressed are those of the person who shared their experience, not of the Royal Commission.