It is hard not to stand in awe of Mayfield's Emma Haining and Booragul's Mitchell Patterson. Both have been through dark days, and their stories show they struggled to receive the help they required at those low ebbs. Yet both are turning those experiences towards the greater good, in hoping they might show gaps in a strained health system. It is concerning to wonder about others who may have faced similar situations without their fortitude.
Mental health can perhaps prove harder to diagnose than physical ailments with visible, obvious symptoms. That is one of several factors in historical lack of treatment and support. But in the modern era, those who reach out for help through a veil of outdated stigma and self-consciousness deserve to have professionals ready to meet and support that movement.
Ms Haining has made it clear she does not hold staff responsible for what she considers a failure. Instead, she is hoping it can highlight larger systemic problems that demand solutions.
"It's the system that's the problem and the lack of funding," she said. "I was sent away with nothing but the phone number for the [NSW Health] Mental Health Line. No one followed up to see if I am coping.
"And I will have to pay for the ambulance."
This is not a problem for a handful of people. According to recent NSW Health data, 16.9 per cent of adults experienced high or very high levels of psychological distress. That figure had grown before standing stable between 2019 and 2021.
The demand is clear. Mr Patterson said he was told there were four people waiting for care ahead of him at the Mater, and they would take two hours each. While capacity cannot be unlimited until resourcing is, neither can people reaching out for what Mr Patterson described as "the last line of defence" find little help.
That is not to say there is no help for those facing their own crises. Hunter New England Health highlights the Mental Health Line (1800 011 511), Lifeline (13 11 14), GP Access After Hours and Safe Haven. But that does not abrogate the failure for those, like Mr Patterson and Ms Haining, who need hospital-level assessment or care to receive timely treatment.
R U OK day and other public health campaigns are designed to help people feel confident to reach out for support, but it is incumbent upon the systems that support such initiatives to ensure they are ready for those most in need of their services as well.
Headspace founding director Patrick McGorry said the mental health system was "desperately in need of reform and investment".
"The system is shrinking at a time when it needs to be growing dramatically to absorb excess demand," said Mr McGorry. "The whole health system is not functioning very well and the demand for mental health services is way more than the supply."
Hunter New England Health argues that "contemporary, best practice mental health care involves management at home when appropriate, with the support of family, general practitioners, as well as other community-based organisations". But what is clear is that neither Mr Patterson nor Ms Haining felt it was appropriate that they manage at home, or that they were adequately supported through trying times.
A health system is forever striving towards better, let alone perfect. The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified workloads and done little to boost resources. But when those going to the right place at the time they need help walk away feeling they did not receive it, it is difficult to argue the system works.
