“I was pulling my hair out thinking why can’t I get an appointment for him.” BELINDA STRAHORN meets a mother fighting overwhelming barriers to get her mentally-ill son help. 

A CONCERNED Canberra mother is desperately seeking help for her mentally-ill son who is still on a waitlist for psychiatry services some six months after a suicide attempt.

A few years ago, after the family moved to Canberra from the US, life threw some challenges at Kate Thompson’s son Robbie, who is on the autism spectrum.

“Robbie was having difficulty at school and he wasn’t getting the right medications,” said Kate.

“He also has ADHD and that was greatly impacting his ability to perform and concentrate in class which made the whole thing very painful.”

Robbie, 17, was also suffering with depression, Kate said, but due to a critical shortage of psychiatrists in Canberra, the teenager was unable to get the help he needed.

“Robbie got so bad, he was isolating and not wanting to go to school, he was depressed and suicidal,” said Kate.

“I was desperate for him to see someone who could prescribe medication for his depression and ADHD.”

Both the private and public psychiatry sectors in Canberra are facing shortages with people waiting several months to access appointments.

The Productivity Commission’s recent report on Government Services 2021, highlighted the fact that Canberrans wait the longest for psychiatric care compared to any other state or territory.

The report revealed three in five Canberrans presenting to Canberra hospitals for mental health care are not getting the treatment they need on time.

It is an issue Kate knows all too well, which she said added to the difficulty of an already painful time.

“I was pulling my hair out thinking why can’t I get an appointment for him,” Kate said.

“I was told I had a six-month wait, and I was thinking this is insane.”

Kate said that left her with no option but to look for private psychiatry support, at a cost of almost $400 an appointment.

“There was no Medicare rebate and I couldn’t afford the follow up appointments at $400 each time,” she said.

Robbie’s mental health deteriorated, and in August Kate’s worst nightmare became a reality when Robbie made an attempt to take his own life.

Kate found her son after he had sustained injuries in a fall, and was rushed to Canberra Hospital.

The retired nurse expected that upon her son’s admission to hospital, his mental-health needs would be addressed.

“In hospital, I was sure he would get to see somebody who would help with medication to manage his depression and ADHD,” said Kate.

“But there was none of that, all they said was they were referring him to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).”

After Robbie was discharged from hospital, a CAMHS team visited him at home, Kate said.

“The people were well meaning, but they said their service was not a direct link to psychiatry,” Kate said.

“When I asked about Robbie seeing a psychiatrist, they simply concurred that the average waitlist time would be six months or longer.

“I couldn’t believe it. I said: ‘My son has had a suicide attempt, isn’t someone going to see him.’ They said: ‘Sorry, that isn’t the way it is.’

“I kept thinking, how could this be happening, in a wealthy country why can’t I get help.”

Kate feels that the territory’s mental health system has failed her son.

“I believe had Robbie seen a psychiatrist with follow-up care he would not have attempted suicide,” Kate said.

In the 2021-22 Budget, the ACT government announced $41 million – over the next four years – to add 10 new acute mental health inpatient beds at Canberra Hospital in a refurbished ward and add extra capacity in the adult mental health unit.

“CityNews” columnist and former chief minister Jon Stanhope recently argued that there is inadequate funding for mental health resources, with the public health system enduring cuts of up to $100 million a year, over the last six years.

“I cannot put a price on my son’s life, it appears however that the depleted ACT mental-health budget has,” Kate said.

“There needs to be more funding, and an awareness that there is a dearth of psychiatry services in Canberra. 

“This dereliction of care for the mentally ill is shameful.”

Kate has gained some support for Robbie through the NDIS, but has still been unable to access the psychiatry help he needs.

She said her son continues to suffer, and she fears for his life.

“We go day by day,” Kate said.

“He still feels completely hopeless about his future, which is really distressing. 

“In some ways Robbie’s an extremely bright kid, but this whole thing has done him in.”

If this story has raised any issues for anyone reading this story, a call to Lifeline might be beneficial on 131114.