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Wanting to help all people with mental illness

GavinleeSenior Contributor

Wanting to help all people with mental illness

firstly this forum may have help a while ago. What a great idea.

I want to know people's thoughts on something I wish to take to parliament.

As people with mental illness we can be caught in a catch 22 situation, need to work to afford private health insurance, can't work because of a mental health issue, so no private health insurance.

I am wanting to propose a supliment for private health insurance for people on DSP who suffer mental illness. Surely this would save the government money in the public sector (which only band aids things anyway). Also with the right treatment from private hospitals this may even help people get back to work, saving the government money with DSP.

At the moment from what I have seen, people go on DSP, they then scrap by week after week and can afford the required help, therefore DSP is the rest of their lives.

Is that what the government wants? It is certainly not what most of the people I know with a mental illness wants.

I am one of the lucky ones that could afford private insurance and had access to right treatment, but not everyone is as lucky I a was.

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In response to: Wanting to help all people with mental illness

utopiaSenior Contributor

Re: Wanting to help all people with mental illness

Woops @CherryBomb I'm always posting my clinic / hospital I stayed at.
I think your idea in priniple sounds great @Gavinlee.
I worked in community mental heath in Admin. Loved my job. Loved the clients. I was good at it. But thats where the acute stress came from that led to depression and anxiety and PTSD.
I'm covered by workcare and have been for 2 years.
When I became suicidal earlier this year, they were going to me to go to the local mental inpatients, in the hopital I worked in. I said HELLO NO -Not Appropriate. I requested a private clinic in the city under Workcover. They would grant me 3 days initially. Finally after the psychiatrist arguing with work cover, I could go in in 5 day & stay for a 10 day assessment. Meanwhile to keep me safe thdy wantex me under a CAT group. The exact team I worked for who didnt protect me from the client.
I'd never been to a hospital for aMI, but I did know that my rural health network would have sicked me out after 24 hrs. Not enough beds. If I were able to stay - they offer no therapy at all.
in the end I spent 4 weeks in the clinic. I stopped being suicidal. I did almost every therapy class going. I'm continuing my therapy with my psychologist.

In response to: Wanting to help all people with mental illness

utopiaSenior Contributor

Re: Wanting to help all people with mental illness

@Gavinlee. My Workcover payments ard less than my pay. I couldn't afford private insurance

In response to: Wanting to help all people with mental illness

utopiaSenior Contributor

Re: Wanting to help all people with mental illness

Woops @CherryBomb I'm always posting my clinic / hospital I stayed at.
I think your idea in priniple sounds great @Gavinlee.
I worked in community mental heath in Admin. Loved my job. Loved the clients. I was good at it. But thats where the acute stress came from that led to depression and anxiety and PTSD.
I'm covered by workcare and have been for 2 years.
When I became suicidal earlier this year, they were going to me to go to the local mental inpatients, in the hopital I worked in. I said HELLO NO -Not Appropriate. I requested a private clinic in the city under Workcover. They would grant me 3 days initially. Finally after the psychiatrist arguing with work cover, I could go in in 5 day & stay for a 10 day assessment. Meanwhile to keep me safe thdy wantex me under a CAT group. The exact team I worked for who didnt protect me from the client.
I'd never been to a hospital for aMI, but I did know that my rural health network would have sicked me out after 24 hrs. Not enough beds. If I were able to stay - they offer no therapy at all.
in the end I spent 4 weeks in the clinic. I stopped being suicidal. I did almost every therapy class going. I'm continuing my therapy with my psychologist.

In response to: Wanting to help all people with mental illness

blackdogContributor

Re: Wanting to help all people with mental illness

Personally I think the concept is great. People need to be properly rehabilitated from their illness. Band aid, quick fix approaches DO NOT work for some people. I should know, I've been struggling for 15 years and have had long periods of unemployment. However I have not been able to get the DSP. And I try to "live" on Newstart allowance, which I'm told is less than the DSP. There's no money left over for me after rent, food, bills so unless I get some kind of extra assistance there's no way I can afford private health care.

In response to: Wanting to help all people with mental illness

GavinleeSenior Contributor

Re: Wanting to help all people with mental illness

@blackdog Have you kept trying to get DSP?
There are 3 important things that a psychiatrist needs to state about you. That you are diagnosed, treated and stable, they also need to say that you are unable to work full time for the next 2 years. It's good if they say you can work for about 8 hours.

A psychiatrist doesn't even need to complete the forms anymore, it changed recently and they just need to provide a letter.

Hope this info helps, if you have questions please ask.

In response to: Wanting to help all people with mental illness

GavinleeSenior Contributor

Re: Wanting to help all people with mental illness

@CherryBomb sorry, don't know where I got cherryblossum from lol

In response to: Wanting to help all people with mental illness

GavinleeSenior Contributor

Re: Wanting to help all people with mental illness

It is with regret that due to personal reasons I will not be posting or visiting the forum anymore.
I will keep the fight up for all people with a mental illness now and in the future.
Good luck everyone

In response to: Re: Wanting to help all people with mental illness

Unknown userMember

Re: Wanting to help all people with mental illness

Sorry to read you are leaving us @Gavinlee but wanted to wish you all the best for the future!

Thank you for your positive contributions on the forum and you will be welcomed back anytime you feel you would like to visit.

Kind regards,

Frog

In response to: Wanting to help all people with mental illness

utopiaSenior Contributor

Re: Wanting to help all people with mental illness

@Gavinlee. I will be right beside you putting up a good fight.
All the best to you

In response to: Re: Wanting to help all people with mental illness

AppleblossomSenior Contributor

Re: Wanting to help all people with mental illness

A singing friend and religion teacher with heaps of theology and priest hubby .. with deep links with the trades hall ... taught me the line about the importance of the GOOD FIGHT.

Sorry to see you go @Gavinlee Yep

My father and sister died on mental health premises.

My in-laws were the ones who had all the private cover.

Yes I am familiar with the differences between private & public.

Alonside @utopia and probly a few others

I will beside you ... shoulder to the plough .. there is much work to be done.

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