Rhiannon

‘For the past eight years, I have become a guinea pig for every antipsychotic I could possibly think of. There was severe blood noses, I looked like a car accident victim. There were severe mood swings, suicide attempts.’

Rhiannon is in her 50s and lives with psychosis and other mental health conditions. She was diagnosed in her 20s with schizophrenia, then about eight years ago with schizoaffective disorder.

‘And I do believe that I have been misdiagnosed,’ Rhiannon told the Royal Commission. ‘And it could be autism spectrum disorder. ASD can be mistaken for schizoaffective disorder, so a lot of people are being reassessed now.’

Rhiannon is on an involuntary treatment order. She said the doctors have put her on drugs that have turned her into a ‘zombie’.

‘I have been taking my medication, it is all bullshit. I have severe cognitive impairment. I have got vision problems. I am now suffering dementia-like symptoms. I am also sleepwalking. I have to barricade myself in my apartment every night.’

All this has a debilitating effect on her life.

‘I can't function normally. There's a lot of things I can't do. I can't go into jobs that I would like. I can’t drive. I am unable to have a child at all.’

Rhiannon has been admitted to psychiatric hospitals about 10 times during this period. Each time, her health deteriorates.

‘The doctors want to pump you up with drugs and, you know, they don't care if you are suffering mentally or physically because it is a big money-making scheme. And every single one they have tried has not worked for me.’

Rhiannon described her psychiatrist as ‘a wolf in sheep’s clothing’ who gets pleasure from locking her in a secure extended care unit (SECU).

‘Now SECU is a ward where they have severe cases, people that have murdered, they are ice addicts. I was assaulted by two patients, I was verbally threatened. I was intimidated. I was frightened for my life. I was there for four months.’

During her stay, two nurses approached Rhiannon.

‘And they say, “You’re not psychotic. We don’t know why you’re here.” One of the nurses said I was being medically neglected.’

Once the head nurse and four security guards ‘cornered’ Rhiannon to give her an injection.

‘Then they grabbed me, slammed me into the bed and ripped my pants down with four men watching me.’

Rhiannon reported the abuse to police and received a payout as a victim of crime.

A couple of years ago, Rhiannon tried to get her mental health treatment order revoked.

‘I was refusing to see [my psychiatrist]. I was going to go cold turkey on the medication so I could choose whether to have antipsychotics in my system or not. She rang me and she said, "You're completely manic and I am going to put you back on a community treatment order." Without even evaluating me, she made that decision in 30 seconds.’

Rhiannon is on a waiting list to see a private psychiatrist for a diagnosis ahead of her next mental health review tribunal.

‘I do not have faith in my current psychiatrist. She is absolutely appalling.’

Meanwhile, Rhiannon is ‘a recluse’ in her apartment. She has supports 12 hours a week but is trying to get that increased.

Rhiannon would like to put her qualifications to work in aged care or childcare, but her ‘memory is shot’. One of her dreams is to be a mental health advocate.

‘To help as many people as I can in similar circumstances. Being up there and saying, "Hold on a minute, this is not right, this is human torture and human abuse."’