Self-report to the Mental Health Review Tribunal (MHRT) transmitted 14/05/2012 May-Monday...
How do you feel about being on an order
The doctors who wrote my clinical reports are no better than an oligarchy. That is, these few are governing my life, self-esteem and future direction with extreme negativity and caution. Minus any rhetoric, I’m bordering on being treated no worse than a criminal in regards to rights and liberty.
The result you want from the Tribunal hearing
Essentially, the very rare acts of non-constant violence I’ve committed wouldn’t even register as a crime for others with no prior mental health file. For any chance of stability and progress to occur, revoking the ITO would do wonders towards achieving that.
Any comments about the doctor’s report
Not answered.
How do you feel about your treatment
Compared to my decade (1995 to 2005) in Sydney being on their books with Body Dysmorphic Disorder, my treatment here in Brisbane has mainly been lacklustre. The health professionals do their job, only to a bare minimum though. No extra-curricular activities are funded and provided, something which stopped me feeling socially isolated in Sydney. Mind you, my last case manager, a Michael O’Connell was a favourite of mine. He was very helpful, was a friend almost and we had coffee at Borders etc. Michael took me under his wing and helped me get off the ITO in 2008. Apart from him, my treatment hasn’t been anything spectacular as they offer in Scandinavia or the USA.
The people who support you and the ways they support you
My mum and aunt support me day to day with food, washing, company and guidance. My dad does this to a lesser extend via email. My sisters, 11 year old twins help me by interacting with me, practising speaking English, mucking around and so on.
Your hopes and plans for the future
Perhaps relinking with Southbank TAFE (SBIT) and/or Comepass Job Agency for some courses. I’m considering enrolling/investing in online IT training too. Really, hard for these plans to be kick-started while on an ITO.
How do you think/feel your life is going
All progress I made, which is a lot, stopped by doctors past two clinical reports. Do they have to resort to juvenile name calling/accusations to trigger an ITO? It appears so to me. All my positives have been short changed and discounted so they can be washed free of any alarmist, paranoid liability they - the doctors or health service, may incur on my behalf. I AM NOT LIKE, NEVER HAVE BEEN AND NEVER WILL BE LIKE THE GRAPHIC COURT CASES YOU SEE HERE: http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/qld/QMHC/2010/
How you are looking after yourself
I shower often, keep high hygiene standards. I exercise in a nearby park at least twice a month, 30-45 minutes each time, running and doing AFL/NRL drills on my own. I walk about 1.5-2km at least once a week to Woolworths, Civic Video and BP.
How you deal with life’s stresses and what you do?
Not answered.
What will it take to have control of yourself
I vent on social media, especially Twitter and LiveJournal. To me it’s a fresh and amazing way of releasing frustration, quite cathartic too. Sure, probably not many listen or take notice, but it’s my ‘message in a bottle’ to society.
Where do you live and if you are happy there?
I live with my mum, aunt and sisters (11 year old twins). I’ve no other feasible choices to life. Frankly, I’m glad I have no choice. Having no friends makes the world even more scary/untrusting. As the seasons and weather progress, I’m so grateful for my bedroom and a quality of life others on the DSP would like to possess. Why would my so-called treating team utter/urge me to move out of this luxury?
How do you occupy your time - paid/voluntary work; studying; hobbies; interests
I do heaps of self-learning. I watch films, read books and science/political magazines. I keep track/inventory of all my retail purchases via dockets. I’m in synch with culture of markets, as much as I oppose it ideologically. I blog and Twitter a lot, to document/store/crystallize/make sense/log my feelings and moods. That’s given me confidence and grounded self-actualisation the past 6 months, without of which I would be half the person I am today.
Any comments about the progress you have made
The past month, my hitherto positive progress has been stifled and put out of synch by the DSM rigour of the current recent two clinical reports. They have written assessments of me damning my hard earned and hard fought for self-esteem and, more importantly: ‘sense of self’. Basically, in their nutshell/world view (of which many exist, believe it or not) Dr Walker and Dr Sehgal have painted a negative portrait of me and pass it off to wider society as ‘the truth’.