The family of a popular Brisbane performer who took his own life claim he was failed by Queensland's mental health system after being repeatedly discharged from hospital while appearing to be suicidal.
Jamie Wood, 31, was found dead in his Bowen Hills apartment on August 28 after a long battle with his mental health.
The family are now calling for a coronial inquiry into the care Mr Wood received in the months before his death.
TRIGGER WARNING: This article contains information relating to suicide and may be distressing to some readers.
A dancer who was well known in the LGBT community, Mr Wood had previously performed with pop singer Ricki-Lee and was working on cruise ships before the pandemic put him out of work.
Despite his struggles, Mr Wood's sister, Samantha Wood, said her brother always put on a brave face and was known as the "life of the party".
"On the outside he seemed to be the happiest person. No-one would have known that he was suffering so badly," she said.
"He was a very compassionate, kind and non-judgemental person. He would give you the shirt off his back, that is the type of person he was."
In a bid to forge a new career path, Mr Wood had recently taken on a hairdressing apprenticeship, which he seemed happy about, Ms Wood said.
"He called my mum at 6pm the night that he took his life. He was telling her how excited he was about his apprenticeship," she said.
"That is why it was such a shock that that same night he took his life."
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Despite the promising progress he made in the month before his death, Mr Wood's mental health problems were ever-present.
He had been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and was regularly being transported via police or ambulance to the emergency department at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital.
A month before his death, on July 26, Mr Wood was admitted to the emergency department after attempting to self-harm, requiring surgery, Ms Wood said.
"He had sent my mum a suicide note which I passed on to the hospital," she said.
After being assessed in the emergency department, Mr Wood was sent home from hospital about six hours later and told to return for surgery to repair tendons in his arms in four days.
On three other occasions, between April and May this year, Mr Wood was taken to the same emergency department after he had made attempts on his life, his sister said.
He was never admitted as a mental health patient and usually discharged from the emergency department within hours, she said.
"We begged them to keep him in, but not once was he ever admitted as a mental health patient," she said.
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Ms Wood said when her family requested for her brother to be admitted to the mental health unit they were told by hospital staff keeping someone with borderline personality disorder (BPD) against their will in hospital would be more damaging for their mental health.
"As a family we knew Jamie best and what he needed. We wanted him to be admitted so he could be assessed properly by a psychiatrist and perhaps get some intense therapy sessions," Ms Wood said.
"But it was almost like Jamie was put in the 'too hard basket'. They didn't know how to help him and so every single time they would just release him," she said.
The family has since written to the Queensland coroner to request an investigation into Mr Wood's death. The family has also made an official complaint to the hospital and last week met with senior staff.
Ms Wood said her family was told the hospital was conducting a "root cause analysis" investigation to try identify any gaps in her brother's care.
A spokesperson for Metro North Health service declined to comment on or confirm any details of the investigation to 9news.com.au.
"We are unable to provide any detail regarding his care due to patient confidentiality requirements, however we are currently working with the family to address their concerns and will cooperate with any formal requirements relating to his death," the spokesperson said.
"Metro North Health recognises the devastating and lasting impact suicide has on families and the broader community.
"We would like to offer our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Jamie Wood."
9News.com.au has also contacted Queensland Health Minister Yvette D'Ath for comment.
Patients with BPD 'falling through the cracks'
Ms Wood said she believed part of the problem with her brother's care stemmed from a lack of support for people with borderline personality disorder.
Unlike many mental illnesses, there is no medication which specifically targets BPD and treatment usually involves psychotherapies.
President of the BPD Foundation Rita Brown said BPD was perhaps the most stigmatised and misunderstood mental illness, particularly within the medical profession where a belief persisted the condition was untreatable.
"I have heard of people being triaged and basically sat in front of the nurses station covered in their own blood and waiting to be attended to," Ms Brown said.
"I have heard of one person have their self-inflicted wounds stitched without an anaesthetic because the doctor said you must like pain."
Ms Brown said Mr Wood's story was not uncommon and suicidal people were being turned away from emergency departments and other services.
A recent study of data from the Victorian Suicide Registry by Spectrum Personality Disorder Service showed that 10 percent of all suicides in Victoria were linked to a diagnosis of BPD.
A separate study by the same service also showed 99 percent of those people had contact with a mental health service in the year prior to their suicide and 88 percent in the six weeks before their death.
While busy and noisy emergency departments were not the ideal location for suicidal patients, hospitalisation did have its place, Ms Brown said.
"There is the belief that hospitalisation is not useful for people with BPD. However, short term admissions can be lifesaving."
The BPD Foundation is calling for is calling for a national 24/7 hotline dedicated to helping people with BPD, better support and training for carers, the upskilling of clinicians and more mental health funding that is specifically allocated to BPD services.
COVID-19 pandemic putting strain on EDs
Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows 3,139 Australians took their life in 2020 — which is equivalent to 8.6 people each day.
Despite fears the pandemic would lead to an increase in suicides, the figures are the lowest they have been since 2016.
However, demanded for mental health services in hospitals has been higher than ever, the Queensland Alliance for Mental Health, a peak body for the community mental health sector, says.
"The evidence is compelling that the pandemic has had a negative impact on the mental health of all of us with some key groups such as young people, women and those already socially disadvantaged heavily impacted," the alliance's CEO, Jennifer Black, said.
"What we are being told is that there is increased demand for mental health services at hospitals since the beginning of the pandemic."
While many patients with a mental illness ended up in emergency departments, they were not the most appropriate setting for people in distress, Ms Black said.
"We need more alternatives to hospital admission which assist people to stay well in their communities and are able to support people early in distress to prevent their mental health spiralling into crisis and emergency presentations," she said.
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