The Value Of RUOK

I know initiatives like RUOK? Day sometimes get a bad wrap but I think it's a nice reminder to ask those questions of our loved ones more often.

As someone who spent several years in and out of hospital, I can easily say that I encourage any discussion around mental health.

'Okay' means something to different to everyone at different stages of their life.

For me now, Okay is any time of day where I don't feel physically unwell and am able to relax or concentrate as needed but about 4 years ago, the bar was much lower, Okay was any moment of my day where I could possibly consider my future or anything that I looked forward to.

Of course I loved my family and friends but depression and medication had killed my spirit.

It was around this time 4 years ago that I was at Liverpool Hospital,where I was grabbed by a gaurd and forced to be injected with a medication that I had already told the hospital had previously given me an allergic reaction.

 "Don't be a baby" were this man's exact words

I can not tell you just how powerless I felt in that moment

What came next was worse for me, a string of people I care about and who I KNOW care about me who all sided with the actions of the hospital staff and that they were 'just doing their job' and I should 'try to see it from their perspective'

It wasn't until my caseworker visited and reaffirmed that what had happened should never have happened to me. She reported the incident and I was moved to another unit that day (but still left on the medication)

Once transferred a second time back to Campbelltown, I was able to see my  old doctor, who acknowledged that my side-effects were valid.

It's hard to explain what it feels like to have zero body autonomy and to have decisions made on your behalf

I talk about this because for anyone who doesn't see the value in RUOK? Day, for me it goes beyond being tokenistic, or it should.

It should be something that helps break down barriers and see the importance in the change one person can make in another person's life.

My caseworker was the ONE person that actually listened to what I was saying and didn't treat me like a belligerent school girl.

She was the ONE person who asked if I was ok and really listened to the answer and what I wanted to be done about it.

There are huge changes that need to be made at higher levels of government in regard to mental health funding, early intervention programs and nurse to patient ratios and that all 100% needs to happen and it comes from listening to people with lived experience.

So I think for today it is enough to ask the question and take time to think about what we can all do to both help our loved ones and also to help  mend a very broken system