A 16-year-old girl with autism, ADHD and OCD spent more than 60 hours in two Perth hospital emergency departments without receiving the psychiatric care she needed, highlighting gaps in acute mental health care for teenagers.
The girl, Indi, had been deteriorating for weeks and expressed suicidal thoughts. Her mother, Simone, tried to get her admitted to Joondalup Health Campus on August 14, but after a four-hour wait to see a mental health nurse, they left at 11pm. The hospital called at 1:30am, but the family was already on their way home to Margaret River.
Days later, Simone took Indi to Fiona Stanley Hospital, where a doctor said she likely needed a youth mental health bed, but the ward was full. They waited over 50 hours in the emergency department before negotiating to go home while staying on the waitlist. More than a week later, Indi still had not secured a bed.
Simone said her daughter is scared and has a disability, and she is unsure if Indi will agree to go to the mental health ward because parents are not allowed to stay. Mental health advocates say Indi's experience is not uncommon and exposes a system that cannot cope.
Health Minister Meredith Hammat said she had instructed the Department of Health to contact the family and acknowledged the stress parents face. She said the government is working to strengthen mental health supports across the state.
