Elena

Elena has neurological disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder. She told the Royal Commission that when she was admitted to the mental health unit of a hospital about five years ago, she was subjected to days of psychological abuse and neglect that left her fearful for her health, safety and freedom.

That year Elena had been experiencing severe depression and psychological side effects of medication. One night, after several days of feeling highly stressed and not sleeping, she took medication to help her sleep, resulting in an accidental overdose.

When she woke the next morning in the mental health unit, she agreed to be admitted as a voluntary patient. ‘This was the first time in many years I’d had the opportunity to open up to a counsellor about my mental health issues,’ she said. ‘I thought I would finally get the opportunity to deal with my mental health.’

The next morning when she was given her usual meds, Elena explained to the staff that one of the tablets was for night because it made her drowsy in the morning.

For the rest of the day she tried to keep herself occupied, but the space and some of the other patients felt threatening. The area was also very unclean and the bathroom was filthy, with the walls and floors covered in mould and faeces on the toilet.

In the evening Elena asked the staff for the tablet she had told them she needed to take at night. They said she couldn’t have it and, as she had ‘refused’ to take it earlier, ‘it was her problem’. She explained the severe side effects of not taking the medication, but they still refused.

‘At this point I was upset and didn’t feel like I was making any progress. I hadn’t seen a doctor all day nor talked to anyone further about my mental health. I wanted to go home to sleep. I asked to have my medication so I could go home. The nurse laughed at me and said “You’re not going anywhere”. I stated that I was a voluntary patient and she told me if I tried to leave they’d just put me on an involuntary order. I asked what I had to do to be released. They said I had to wait for the doctor … and he was busy.’

Elena waited, scared she would be ‘trapped in there’. She shared what was happening with friends via social media. Nurses confiscated her phone.

Later Elena found out that some of her friends had contacted the hospital wanting to speak to her. Staff told them she was ‘not in a state to talk’ but they’d pass on a message. They never did.

At about 10 pm the registrar came. He told Elena that he didn’t have the authority to release her and that a doctor with the appropriate authority wouldn’t be on site until Monday.

While the registrar was dispensing Elena’s medications, two nurses were there discussing her. One said, ‘We’re going to need to sedate her, she’s going to be a problem’. Elena told them that, as she had now taken her correct meds, she would be able to sleep and wouldn’t need to be sedated. The registrar agreed and denied the nurses’ request for an authority to sedate.

At this, one of them turned to Elena and said, ‘Watch yourself. We can still sedate you by force and we have some big guys to help us do it,’ pointing to the security guards.

‘I was terrified they were going to come back in and find an excuse to force sedation on me … I didn’t think under the circumstances my fear was unreasonable.’

On Monday morning, when Elena was finally able to see a doctor, her sister-in-law was there to support her. Her sister-in-law had extensive knowledge of the Mental Health Act and talked to the doctor, who agreed Elena should have been discharged – that she had only experienced a situational crisis and was not suicidal or at risk. Elena went home that day.

After this ordeal, Elena made a written complaint to the hospital administration. They told her they would investigate the matter, but she did not hear from them again. She also applied for her medical file under the relevant privacy laws. The file essentially painted her as an uncooperative patient.

‘I fear that people who experience poor treatment within a mental health facility, who don’t have adequate advocacy, will not have the opportunity to recover, or will not seek assistance in the future when they need to.’