Slipping Through the Cracks

This piece was created for the Ballarat Mental Health Collective Art Exhibition 2023
Submitted with the following caption:

We’re gradually making progress with our awareness and destigmatisation of mental health issues, however our health care system doesn’t have the infrastructure to provide the services we know that people need.

The mental health system’s inability to provide appropriate support and services for people experiencing suicidality is something that’s deeply negatively impacted my recovery, as well as those I care about.

I always hear that we’re pouring millions into mental health, but in 15+ years I’ve never personally seen or heard of it helping anyone in crisis, and it’s not good enough. In crisis you reach a point where you finally realise enough is enough, I AM hurting myself AND people I care about. You force yourself – with the minutia of energy you have left – to reach out to the public system. You lay bare the most vulnerable parts of yourself to strangers and they never have the resources to help.

One of my diagnoses is heavily stigmatised within the healthcare system. 10% of people with this diagnosis die by suicide. It has been implied every time that I seek help whilst experiencing suicidality that I am still not sick enough to receive appropriate care despite the fact the disorder has one of the highest rates of completed suicide worldwide. Suicidality itself is traumatic when you are afraid and don’t want to die. Being dismissed by professionals is common and extremely damaging to one’s self worth.

It’s hard to encompass the meaning behind this piece in 300 words. The subject is incredibly personal to me so I struggle to stay succinct. I’m tired of being let down, seeing loved ones let down, by a system that is meant to be there for us when we need it most. I hope that as more people voice these issues we can start to see noticeable change.