A mother of four children has spoken out about her frustrations finding appropriate care in Mandurah for her 14-year-old daughter, who has been suicidal since January.
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The mum, who asked not to be named, said she was afraid she would lose her daughter if crisis services were not immediately improved in Mandurah.
In January, she was forced to call police to prevent her daughter attempting suicide.
Her daughter was admitted to Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) for a number of days, and then referred for help to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAHMS).
But three weeks ago, things took a turn for the worse when her daughter began to harm herself.
The mum also discovered suicidal messages, but again found herself unable to find help; she said she was “palmed off” from service to service and felt as though she had nowhere to turn.
“I was terrified,” she said.
“If you can't find the help you need all you can see at the end is the result of what they're trying to do; all you can see is suicide,” she said.
“Then you're not calling services for help, you're planning a funeral.
“I don't want to be organising a funeral, I'd rather be getting her help now while she needs it, not talking about it months down the track when it’s election time and when people are trying to get votes, it needs to be done now.”
She called the Acute Response Team, set up to deal with crisis situations by providing assessments of the child and referring them to appropriate care.
“They told me on the phone they weren't able to provide that service anymore, that they had a staffing crisis due to funding and they were no longer able to do assessments or call-outs or provide any support to the region,” she said.
The mum then called PMH who put her through to the same worker at the Acute Response Team.
“She kept saying over and over that she had a staffing crisis and couldn't help and we had to go to an ED,” the mum said.
“Nobody helped, everyone just palmed me off to the next person. You just muddle through and hope for the best.”
The mum said she just wanted someone who could help in a crisis.
“That's the bit that's lacking,” she said.
“Something terrible is happening in your home and you’re pretty much on your own.
“You're calling ambulances and you're calling police to help in a situation where really there should be a dedicated mental health team that you are able to call.”
Support is available by calling Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800 or Lifeline on 131 114.
