Sinead

‘I think society as a whole has not made it easy for people like me to thrive. In fact, it’s been very, very difficult.’

Sinead is in her late 20s and has just been diagnosed with autism. She also lives with psychotic depression, anxiety and attention hyperactivity deficit disorder (ADHD).

‘I never thought there was anything wrong with me until people started telling me that … I had a sickness or whatever,’ she told the Royal Commission. ‘I just thought it was my personality … I thought that my differences were a strength.’

Not being diagnosed had ‘a big impact’ on her as a child. ‘Because you don’t get any of the supports you need as a young kid. You don’t have any understanding of what’s going on with you and why. School was very, very stressful. Like teachers didn’t like me and my grades suffered, I guess because my brain was wired differently.’

Because she didn’t ‘act socially appropriately’, others saw her as ‘a bit of a weirdo … mentally ill’.

‘So, I’ve been bullied my whole life. As a kid in school and not just by students but by teachers, by people in the workplace, in relationships, all of that. It’s led me to be very isolated and my mental health has suffered a lot … I’ve been suicidal a lot of my adult life … And all because I’ve never really gotten the support I need for those conditions.’

Sinead tried to seek treatment earlier.

‘Most doctors aren’t educated on neurodivergent conditions … Instead of them looking into it further I would just get told to try harder … I would sort of get dismissed as, like, my character flaw.’

Sinead was afraid to see a psychiatrist about a diagnosis because of the cost.

‘And as a young person, 18 or whatever, I didn’t have any money. So I couldn’t do that … Even after you are diagnosed, you can’t really do much with it,’ she said.

‘I think there really needs to be more support services for adults on the spectrum because when society just keeps treating you like crap and always putting you down, you’re not going to want to contribute.’

The lack of support has left her feeling ‘quite helpless’.

‘It’s a bit hard on your self-esteem.’

That’s been exacerbated by a lack of work opportunities. When she was younger, Sinead saw a campaign that suggested if you were unemployed you were ‘sort of a dreg of society … a failure’.

‘That was pretty scary to hear when you are having legit mental struggles and having challenges. Instead of getting support, you just get shamed by the government.’

From employers, Sinead has experienced ‘general inequality just for being disabled’.

‘You get discriminated against if you announce that you’re autistic when you are trying to look for a job, and the needs that you have aren’t accommodated … I get exploited in the workplace because I struggle with communication and listening.’

Sinead hasn’t applied for the NDIS, but can’t afford to get the help she needs alone.

‘I think it would just be nice if the NDIS would consider ADHD just as disabling as autism.’

She was living below the poverty line until a couple of years ago.

‘I’m lucky that as an adult I’ve had someone to advocate for me, but if I didn’t have that, I’d have no money, I’d have no Centrelink, because it’s been impossible for me to communicate.’

Just getting that ‘extra bit of money’ has really helped her ‘get back on track’.

‘It’s not even just about paying for the essential things to survive, it’s about doing things to make you happy … and have a good quality of life. To sort of just to do things I enjoy.’