Lang and Barb

‘Our sense is that it's due to his disability that he's been denied services.’

Barb’s uncle, Lang, is in his 50s and has bipolar disorder and schizoaffective disorder.

‘He likes going to the movies, he likes going bowling. He comes over for lunch and things like that,’ Barb told the Royal Commission. ‘[Lang's] someone that's had bipolar all of his life. He's always taken medication as prescribed.’

Lang’s been taking lithium to control bipolar disorder for so long it’s damaging his kidneys. Barb said if Lang doesn’t take lithium, he becomes manic and catatonic.

‘Lithium is the only lifeline for [Lang] that works to bring him back from his condition … He's always said he wants his mind more than his body and so we've always advocated for his lithium.’

A few years ago doctors admitted Lang to a hospital medical ward to treat an infection.

‘He was removed from his psychotropic medication, which generally happens every time he goes into hospital … because once they get him there they say, “Oh his kidneys are really bad.”’

Within a couple of weeks Lang was ‘basically lying in bed, not moving, only eye contact, no verbalising’.

‘The feedback we were getting was, “No he's got a physical health condition. We don't believe there's a mental health component to this.” And we were like, “… he clearly does have a mental health condition. He's had bipolar since he's 19.”’  

Barb said Lang remained catatonic in the hospital medical ward and lost a lot of weight.

‘He spent a good nine months lying in bed, with us trying to argue to get him treatment. He became completely deconditioned. So he walked into the hospital semi-independent and since then he's never been able to walk again.’

While his condition deteriorated, hospital staff urged Barb to consider palliative care.

‘[Lang] does require a lot of resources when he's unwell. He generally needs in-hospital one-to-one special care,’ Barb told the Royal Commission.

‘We have even been told by [one hospital] that he's costing the system too much [and] palliative care would be the best option.’

Barb said Lang ‘always wanted active treatment’. Eventually, doctors agreed to trial lithium if the family accepted ‘the risk to his kidneys’.

‘Within two weeks, Commissioner, he started talking.’

When the hospital discharged Lang, Barb asked if he could access the rehabilitation unit to help him walk again.

‘And they said no, he doesn't have rehab potential.’

Barb said hospitals often discharge Lang without adequate treatment.

‘What we're having now is everyone shutting the doors on him and he's not receiving the healthcare that he deserves.’

Barb said when she complains to the hospital about his treatment ‘it doesn’t seem to do any good’.

‘To be honest we've always been afraid to …  We've had times that we've lodged a complaint because we've not been heard and he's been immediately discharged that day or the day after from hospital.’

Lang hasn’t walked since leaving hospital and uses a wheelchair.

‘We felt, due to the stigma that he's received because of his disability, that … has made it very difficult for him to access the right treatment … and now his physical health has been affected.’