Borderline Personality Disorder and a medical/mental health system that keeps letting us down

[Flowerchild07]

My niece has BPD. She has been trying to get help since February. The first referral was lost....she waited 8 months to hear back from them. Yes, she tried call them during that time and there was no one in the office. Possibly due to Covid, she thought maybe they're not working at the moment. When she finally got through 8 months later, they had lost her referral. Actually, they said they never received it, which she knows isn't true, because she had discussed over the phone with her and said the psychiatrist had the information about it on his desk!! She then called another GP, got another referral to a different psyciatrist. They were going to get back to her. She's heard nothing for weeks. Two weeks ago she was taken to hospital by ambulance because she wanted to kill herself. The H.O.P.E. team (post suicide attempt assistance) are supposed to be helping her.....they're 'going' to call her back. What is it....they wait until she kills herself before they attempt to do anything. I really angry. She is suffering, her 3 young children are suffering and the rest of our family are suffering. What the hell is going on? In this day and age, with Beyond Blue and all the other mental health organisations we have, and people donating money left, right and centre to help with the fight against mental illness, what is going on. Not good enough. I could be wrong, but aren't the statistics saying the suicide rate is going up....not down.

[Sophie_M]

Hi Flowerchild07,
 
Firstly, thank you for opening up to our forum community, we know it can be daunting and we are glad you have come here.
 
We are really disheartened to learn of the experience your niece is having in seeking support, we understand this has been really discouraging for you and your family and want to reassure you that help is available.
 
 We’re fully aware that some GPs are better than others when it comes to dealing with mental health concerns. From our own work we’ve found that across the board, GPs are more equipped than ever to help.  But of course, like anything in life, GPs with particular skill sets, and even particular personalities, will meet your needs and expectations in different ways. We always urge people not to be put off by one or even a couple of negative experiences, if you can, help her book in an appointment with another GP who can hopefully get her on the road to recovery.
 
Our friendly Support Service counsellors are available 24/7 and can refer your niece to suitable support – 1300 22 4636 or www.beyondblue.org.au/getsupport.
 
We are here for you too Flowerchild07 and please come back and let us know how you’re going when you feel up to it.
 

[Roads_End]

Hi Flowerchild07'.

That was horribly handled. wish I could say it was a 1 off but I've heard of similar, even had my own bad experiences. I get that the mental health system is stretched to near breaking point but that is of no comfort to those in crisis reaching out for the first time, it takes more courage to ask for help when your struggling than the average Joe who is doing fine could ever imagine, and to then be forgotten about, overlooked, lost in the mail or in my case just not taken seriously, it's really crushing to the the poor person that really needs support and compassion. Please let your your niece know there are those of us that do know and care for the confusion, distress and pain she has and is going threw, I know these are only words and can't solve the crisis, but I have found some comfort on this forum realising that the members here do really know what it's like to suffer these conditions and there kind words are heart felt and not just the lip service you often hear, I remember thinking "finally someone that actually gets what I'm trying to convey"

The good news is sounds like your niece has a champion in her corner with you, that is special, a lot have had to navigate the system alone while most vulnerable, which can be very stressful,its great that you can take charge to smooth the way.

I wish you much better service from the system from now on and a great result for your niece