Lived Experience Forum

[Powderfinger]

I'm not going to sugarcoat this nor is any if my attention as a Libran going to be paid to the nuances of this topic. 

People KNOW YOUR RIGHTS when it comes to your medical care. I have bloody had enough of egotistical, dumbass doctors in this country. Just because they went to university DOES NOT make them a professional nor a book of proven knowledge. 

Doctors don't always have the answers and sometimes the patient actually does. I've been there. Doctor AND the hospital had no idea for months. Basically a shit doctor is a shit doctor. Too many doctors are getting away with way too much in this country. I do not believe some should be even allowed to have their licence to practice and it is not moderated enough. It should be. Just many disasters waiting to happen. 

Research, KNOW YOUR RIGHTS, Research what they are. Do not accept a psychiatrist labelling you as non compliant or resisting treatment because you question their decisions on anything. You do have rights. For any person in the medical field to not allow you your rights is against the law. If you are not happy, you are entitled to get a second or even third opinion. Decisions are yours when it comes to your care. Know your rights. This also extends to therapy. 

Disclaimer: This here is NOT INTENDED for those on an order for their treatment. Please continue to adhere to your treatment order as it is what is holding you together. For any information on your rights, please seek the proper channels to find out your rights as a consumer and patient. 

None of my expressed truth in this post is intended as legal advice, set out as malice intended towards any slecific professional peak body nor specific individual. 

Last but not least, there are good doctors and psychiatrists out there. They exist. I just wanted to include that perhaps the balance of good and not so good FAR outweighs the good and you are able to challenge medical establishments and individual doctors/psychiatrists. 

Just a person who's had enough of a broken system and 20 years experience in it. 

Cheers and good luck. 

[chibam]

I wonder if there's a one-stop-shop webpage, ect. where all patients' rights are explicitly laid out in plain english, and where all the appropriate contact details are for the appropriate patient advocacy organizations, in case patients do find themselves needing to challege formal rulings?

It would be helpful to know. It might even be an idea to have such a page pinned in a prominent, easy-access corner of this website? @Former-Member could this be an idea?

[Powderfinger]

@chibam 

Thank you for listening and hearing me. I think what you have proposed is a wonderful idea and I do hope it gets off the ground. I think it will be do helpful for many people. Perhaps accountability will start to be taken in a few years time when the power level starts to wane and things that need to be challenged are. 

[TideisTurning]

Hi @chibam, it is a great idea, though not something we have at the moment. The Mental Health Act is something that falls under State jurisdiction, and as such varies by state. I'd encourage you to have a look online and see what information you can find relevant to where you live, because there are services out there in each state such as this one which may have more information and insight to offer you. Hope that helps! 

TideisTurning 

[Gwynn]

It's so important. I was lucky to have my parents looking out for me during my hospitalisation and even then I had this huge eff-up with my NDIS funding being stripped from me because I didn't have a release date. You've really got to fight for your rights.