Mental health inquiry hears of ‘monsters’ preying on patients

A woman who spent a decade institutionalised tells mental health inquiry sex abuse is rife.

The mental health Royal Commission has heard gruelling testimony. Picture: iStock.

A woman who spent a decade institutionalised has told Victoria’s Royal Commission into mental health that sexual abuse of vulnerable patients in mental facilities was rife.

Janet Meagher AM, who is on the Independent Advisory Council to the NDIS has lived with schizophrenia since the 1970s and became a mental health activist after being institutionalised.

She said during her 10 year stint she saw “monsters” who preyed on the vulnerable.

While some staff were wonderful she said, “there were … monsters who were in the guise of nursing professionals.”.

“After I left I did a quick survey of people I knew … and I only ever met one who said they hadn’t been sexually abused.”

She said the treatment offered for people suffering mental health illnesses was dehumanising.

“We have sustenance for our bodies and no sustenance for our spirit, our soul and humanity,” she told the inquiry.

“The trouble in mental health services is you are the mood disordered person in room 8.”

She told the inquiry for real change to occur health professionals had to learn to treat mental health patients as human beings.

“I’m begging you for not another report … I beg you for a change that is going to move people from a place of behaviour modification and that has to start with the professionals that deal with us.”

Therese, who did not want her surname published, told the inquiry of the difficulties she faced when trying to access treatment for her lifelong struggle with borderline personality disorder.

“I have had a relatively successful career,” she said.

“So I’ve never been bad enough to meet the criteria.”

Therese said the mental health model was based on the idea an illness could be fixed within a certain time period, which missed the reality that mental health was part of a person facing a lifelong battle.

Therese, who has supportive parents, said she eventually found the help she needed in 2015 and but she said the journey to assistance was long and dark.

“I had to work out my way by myself and I guess it also made me feel like I was so difficult that there was something wrong with me,” she said.

“On the other side it made me feel like maybe I’m not difficult enough because I’m not worth helping.”

Nicola Reavley, deputy director for the Centre of Mental Health at the University of Melbourne, told the inquiry friends of people suffering from mental illness should think about their role in terms of first aid.

“I think most people are familiar with the concept of physical first aid,” she said. “Which is about that really short-term help to get someone into professional help; it’s a similar idea.”