Hemi
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.
Hemi is in his 30s and lives with schizophrenia. He’s been in a psychiatric hospital for more than five years under a forensic order.
‘I do not feel safe here in this hospital,’ Hemi told the Royal Commission. ’I’d rather be back in the community where I belong.’
Hemi has his own room at the hospital, but doesn’t like the food, which he calls ‘dog food’. Hemi said the nurses bully him and other residents.
‘They should be treated as human beings and I’ve seen people who’ve been bullied … I had one of the nurses put his foot on my head.’
Hemi said the hospital restricts his access to nearly everything. He’s not allowed a mobile phone. Hemi has a significant heart problem, but was told to remove his medical bracelet.
‘You can’t have this, you can’t have that.’
Hemi said he was sexually assaulted when he was younger, but the nurses don’t respect his preference not to be touched.
Once, when they tried to sedate him, he objected to being touched and they put him ‘into seclusion’.
‘I ended up getting hurt. The other nurses blamed it on me, but it’s not my fault.’
Hemi hopes to move into supported independent living. To do that, he needs the forensic order lifted. He said there was a hearing recently, but he wasn’t invited. Hemi told the Royal Commission that he went anyway, but ‘didn’t feel welcome’.
‘I want to get out [of the hospital] as soon as possible … and get the rights that I wanted all along, and to live in the community as a human being.’
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.