Muristek
All the systems that should support the vulnerable failed Eliza as a child. In this extract from a Quarterly Essay about the mental health system, one woman’s story paints a broader picture
One wall of the conference room in Berry Street’s Richmond office is a window. Through the glass pours a diffuse light that coats the white walls, the dark carpet, the surface of the table, the fidget spinners on it, and the 21-year-old hand silently causing one of those gadgets to rotate speedily. This hand belongs to a young woman I will call Eliza, who is telling me about her work as a lived experience consultant for Berry Street’s Y-Change initiative, a role she has held for the past four years.
To understand how remarkable it is that Eliza is sitting in this room making time to talk to me about her work, you must first understand a few things. She has survived childhood sexual abuse, physical abuse, psychological abuse and homelessness. She was expelled from school in year 8. She’s had four hospital admissions for acute distress and suicidal ideation. And she manages borderline personality disorder (BPD), which means dealing not only with symptoms which range from the inconvenient to the life-constricting, but also with the stigma that attends this diagnosis.
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