Kaisley
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.
Kaisley is a young adult with a ‘plethora of mental health issues’. She told the Royal Commission she knew from a young age she had a disability, and believes the education and health systems let her down. ‘If I'd been given help as a child, I wouldn’t be as significantly affected as I am,’ she said.
Her mother noticed Kaisley struggling to socialise with other children at primary school. She spoke to several doctors hoping for a formal process of evaluation and diagnosis. They repeatedly rejected her concerns, saying her daughter was ‘just a shy child’.
Kaisley frequently missed school because she felt misunderstood by staff and students. ‘I was called a delinquent and threatened with being taken from my mother.’
Things got worse when Kaisley started high school. During her first week, her mother arrived to pick her up after school and noticed something stuck to Kaisley’s back. It was a small bag and contained what looked like bodily fluid. She made a complaint, but Kaisley said the school never followed up.
In another incident, Kaisley was accused of painting graffiti in the girls’ toilets because someone said they saw her leaving the bathroom before it was vandalised. Kaisley was ordered to ‘find the culprit’ by the end of the school day, or face punishment.
Kaisley began displaying violent reactions under stress. She thought this might prompt school staff to help her get counselling. But ‘rather than being referred to therapy’, she was treated as if she was having a childish tantrum.
Kaisley said this lack of support further impacted her mental health and she eventually left the school, opting for distance education instead.
Kaisley says mental health professionals are still refusing to formally diagnose her disability, even though she has admitted to incidents of self-harm. According to the doctors, she said, ‘I wasn’t suicidal because I hadn’t made a plan.’
Kaisley feels her quality of life is significantly reduced because she didn’t get the help she needed as a child. She is worried she may become a vulnerable target for abuse if she continues to go undiagnosed.
She feels ‘lost and without any hope towards a meaningful future’.
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.