Edwin
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.
Edwin was diagnosed with schizophrenia in his 20s while he was at university. He disagrees with the diagnosis and believes his mental health problems are related to infections.
‘My entire body was infected inside and out and … I started getting pain that I couldn’t handle. Like, I was totally disabled.’
Edwin said doctors don’t listen to him.
‘There is no-one who sits down, listens to me and helps me to recover in 30 years. Not one person. They treat me like a mentally ill fool.’
About a decade ago, Edwin was hospitalised for a few weeks.
‘And in that period in that psych ward they drugged me … to such an extent that I came out totally delusional.’
He feels the mental health system has experimented on him while ‘manufacturing [his] mental illness’.
‘They basically created my situation then they victim blamed me … They were drugging me with substances. When you take it, you become aggressive and … you act out – out of control. They’ve injected substances into me and drug me to shut me up. And there’s nothing I can do about it coz I’m stuck in the system.’
Recently, with a legal advocate, Edwin managed to put a stop to some of his treatments. He now feels ‘free from all of this oppression’.
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.