Peggy
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.
Peggy is in her 50s and lives with depression.
‘It’s like diabetes,’ Peggy told the Royal Commission. ‘Like any other medical condition, you control it, you monitor it, you keep it in check and you can live a normal life. But the problem is society don’t let us live a normal life.’
Peggy also lives with trauma – her father raped her when she was three. Peggy said her parents continued to abuse her into her teens.
‘My mother locked me up in a psychiatric ward at the age of 17 because I tried to kill her.’
Peggy said the abuse continued in the mental health unit.
‘They used to jab me with an injection in my bum, knock me out in a seclusion room with no wall, no window, a mattress, plastic mattress and a bucket in the corner all fucking day … They had me naked on the mattress even though I was totally knocked out.’
Peggy said that one night a number of patients in the unit raped her after she refused to have sex with a staff member. The next morning, the other staff didn’t believe her.
‘They go, “Oh, you, you’re an attention seeker. You’re delusional. Didn’t happen.” So they insisted that I have a shower and wash all over.’
Peggy told the police what happened, but no-one was charged.
‘All they want to do is see mentally ill first, and person second.’
Peggy said people assume she has a personality disorder. She would like to have a piece of paper ‘like a vaccination certificate’ to prove her diagnosis.
‘No, I do not have schizophrenia. I have depression. Here’s the evidence … I’m simply saying that you need the paperwork to prove it because people don’t believe you.’
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.