question time, kids.

hey kate, my article is on the pitfalls of the mental health system in australia.. i have to interview at least 4 people and i thought you'd be a good candidate,
so here are some questions i have at the moment.

1. what age did things start to go wrong for you/when did you first access the mental health system?
In mid-2008 my parents decided that I should go and see a specialist about my apparent eating disorder. I had been becoming "unwell" since the beginning of that year (though in hindsight, I had been suffering at the hands of self-esteem issues, anxiety and depression for a very long time prior to this) and by the time it was suggested by my GP that I should see a dietitian and an adolescent psychiatrist in addition to my psychologist I was in a very bad frame of mind.

2. do you feel there is adequate community support systems out there for you and people with mental health issues?
I think that there is a very large grey-area that fails to cater to the needs of those who fall somewhere in the middle of the spectrum of ill-mental-health; that is, people like myself who are not entirely incapacitated by their issues, but are still in no way able to “just get over it”. I suspect that this has to do with the preconceptions and assumptions that surround mental illness as an issue: that either a person is just “overly sensitive” or they fit the category of “barking mad”.

3. do you feel the system has let you down?
Not really- those who complain incessantly about the system are more often than not those who have not tried to access it at all, or not to the extent that they should. I do however believe that changes need to be made by the system in order to accommodate a larger array of cases and individuals with varying degrees of issues. At the end of the day, the door to recovery is there; but only you have the power to open it.

4. how do you think things could prove? (like government, fundings etc)
Simplifying the process that a sick person has easier and faster access to the services they require. The steps one must go through currently are convoluted and difficult at best. It's not expected that a paraplegic should have to climb a flight of stairs to get physiotherapy. Why force a mentally ill person to deal with numerous applications and a pile of paperwork in order to get the help they deserve when they are already dealing with so much already?

5. what are your dreams for the future?/do you think you can recover?
I truly do believe that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Although the past three years have been an enormous struggle for me, I have learnt so many valuable lessons about how to deal with situations, emotions and day-to-day difficulties, and have found out how strong I really am. I'm hopeful that the pain that I’ve experienced so far will simply drive me to compensate myself, and that the next few years are altogether brighter and more successful for me.

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