I’m seeking the help of the hive-mind to try and get further help.
From around age 18 on I was repeatedly prescribed extremely high doses – including what I now know were overdoses, of a particularly nasty psychiatric medication, all the while being led to believe I was taking ‘normal’ doses. I’d been on something different earlier on and was advised by the doctor (and pressured by parents) to take this other drug – unbeknownst to me I went from the minimum dose of one drug to the maximum dose of another. I was healthy, academically and socially successful at the time this was done – everything was going well after a lot of problems in earlier years. I was however in what I now know was a dysfunctional and at times abusive family situation and ended up back there repeatedly over the years as my life fell apart.
After the switch I gradually went insane, getting worse and worse as time went on, did a lot of terrible things, made crazy decisions regarding university and career that don’t make any sense and have led me to ruin. For years and years I had terrible insomnia, couldn’t concentrate, just degenerated intellectually – all the while I was told I was suffering worsening depression. I was repeatedly told I needed to take this medication for life. I never recognized the importance of the ‘switch’ that happened when I was in year 12, and never associated what was going on with the drug everything just crept up, a lobster boiled slowly.
I’m now in my mid 20s – I’ve finally gotten off the drug, though I’m still suffering a whole lot of problems which I’m trying to seek treatment for – however the worst of the issues are lifting as the months go by.
It is abundantly clear (acknowledged, with caveats by a psychiatrist) that these problems were caused by the drug, however nobody seems to care and I’ve had doctors basically call me a liar as far as the symptoms I’m suffering now. The moment medication history is mentioned they get ultra-defensive, outright deny I could be suffering any long term effects at all.
In terms of my life I’m ruined, have been in and out of unemployment for the better part of 3 years, studied something that doesn’t even make sense to me – I can’t really remember the past 8 years properly, am socially isolated and on the verge of homelessness. I’m still extremely confused and I can’t understand how much time has passed.
I’m getting some help for the immediate issues, but I’m never going really recover from this and desperately need help with longer term things – I’ve contacted a couple of law firms but nobody will touch it because of statutes of limitations. There’s meant to be a role here for the ACT human rights commission, but I don’t really know how to put together an effective complaint and whether it’s even worth it.
Where can I go for this? I desperately need help from someone or an organization that can act as an advocate and help with figuring out what to do now and actually doing it.
I tried ADACAS but it’s not really their area, though they were very helpful in other ways.