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Orwellian
Senior Contributor

Why "Orwellian"?

 

Why did I pick the name Orwellian?

 

It is from George Orwell and some of the concepts he raised, mostly that of the "Thought Police" in 1984.

 

 

It was in late 2017 when I was not coping that I was diagnosed with PTSD due to long term workplace bullying. I did not realise that could result in PTSD, however it  made sense to me. It was a short time later I was using an online counselling service where I was honest about my feelings that I was further traumatised. The online session was cut off and I was feeling low. Next thing I knew there were two cops at my door. I asked them to leave but they would not. They put me into their van, with the A/C on high in the middle of winter. They would not even let me dress. I was bounced around the back of that wagon then dumped at the hospital where I was locked up for a night. The next day I had to tell the staff there what they wanted to hear to get out. I vowed I would never go there again.

 

My symptoms continued. I was alone at work one day in February 2018 when the Bully manager sprung a sudden meeting on me. It was just the two of us. I may have appeared calm but the inside of my head was anything but normal. I was having a crisis. I ran away and ended up at the Community Mental Health from where I was sent home with a Sick Certificate. I did see my GP and I then put in a claim under Workers Compensation.

 

Some time later my GP said I should go back on a Return to Work plan as requested. The Return to Work Coordinatior told me that the Bully had been moved to another area. I agreed to return to my previous duties. Then some days later she phoned to say she was mistaken and he is going to be moved but not yet. I said I cannot go back there. She kept insisting it would be OK and eventually I told her of the incident where I had to run away due to the confronting thoughts I had. She agreed that I needed an alternate place to work and was going to consult with her superiors. She was then told that they needed a Risk Assessment. I agreed, but they never organised one.

 

The next thing I knew I was being disciplined for the "thoughts" I had had. I had to respond. My choice was to deny it and make out the RTW coordinator was lying or state that I had the thoughts, which I did. The Code of Conduct does not address thoughts and I had not made any threats. My actions were to remove myself and seek help, which is what is advised.

 

The next thing I was informed that they had found against me and it was being moved to the next level. I then got a letter from the CEO saying that they were looking at sacking me. I was asked to show cause why I should not be terminated. I pointed out that I had done nothing to breach the Code of Conduct and I had just informed the RTW Coordinator of my thoughts when it was necessary. They continued and I lost my job after 29 years.

 

I went to the Union as I had been sacked due to a Mental Health condition. They went to the Fair Work Commision. The damages there are limited to 26 weeks pay for Unfair Dismissal. They gained 20 weeks, but to get that I have to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement, which means I could not write this. I have not signed.

 

I feel that my dismissal was not Unfair, it was Unlawful. I feel I was sacked due to a Mental Disability (PTSD) and that is illegal. I cannot get anyone to help me to persue this, either in the courts or media.

 

Sorry this is quite long but I feel desperate. I now have no job, no income and pressure on me to sign a Gag Order to get just a few dollars which will not last long. I cannot find another job. Leaves me with very few options.

16 REPLIES 16

Re: Why "Orwellian"?

@Orwellian sorry did you say that as a result of talking on a helpline openly & honestly- the police turned up at your door & took you to hospital? I didn't realise they could do that, I thought helplines were confidential -
- really sorry to hear of your situation-emotional bullying is very traumatic & definitely causes PTSD

Re: Why "Orwellian"?

“Yes @Serenity1  they can. It was text based. I thought it was confidential. The cousellor asked directly if I had ever thought of suicide. I said something like "Of course, I think most people have at some stage" That is not what I wanted to talk about but she kept coming back to it. I now know it is something that is best avoided, but I did not at that time.

 

She then asked if I knew how to do it. I replied that I am not stupid, of course I know how to achieve that end if I so wanted. Then tried to move on to talking about feelings again.

 

She returned to it and asked what methods I knew about. This got me very frustrated and I listed about five methods which were likely to be sucessful. I never said I was going to use any of them. She then terminated the chat. I felt worse than when I reached out.

 

About an hour later the Police turned up. <SNIP>. I would not open the door, but they then said they would break it down. I was just in shorts and a T Shirt as I had a fire on ... they would not give me privacy to change. It was a horrible experience which left me feeling actually suicidal. To get home I had to tell the shrinks what they wanted to hear. Memories of that night are still traumatic. <SNIP>

 

Re: Why "Orwellian"?

Hey @Orwellian (nice choice of username btw, I appreciate George Orwell's works, especially 1984 and Animal Farm). I did write a lengthy reply to you earlier, but halfway through something happened and it wouldn't let me post (not sure why?). Anyhoo here I am now, writing to you. 

I could relate a lot to what you had said. I had a similar experience of workplace bullying (but thankfully no PTSD outcome that I am aware of). I worked for a government department and believe it or not my RTW coordinator was in cahoots with my then Manager, so I was forced to resign or be sacked due to mental illness (despite having an employee appraisal just weeks before and being told by people superior to my Manager that my work was exceptional). I figured it would look bad being sacked on a resume, so I resigned. No one stuck up for me and I had nobody in my corner at all. It cost me friends, a marriage, a home and a job. I've been unemployed since 2009 and eventually was put onto a disability pension.

I was also taken from work to a psych ward against my wishes and was forcibly removed from my home by Police and detained under the Mental Health Act at the discretion of helpline staff. It can be soul destroying and makes me very wary of mental health helplines.

Anyway, welcome to the forum as I've not met you before and figured you were fairly new.

Re: Why "Orwellian"?

Thanks @Queenie I am new here but will not be hanging around.

 

Was seeking some peer support but I do not seem to be able to get that. Have been trying to share my experiences and get some things out in the open. That seems a healthy thing to do but is not possible. My attempts have resulted in a decline in my my mental wellness, so it is best I retreat back into myself.

Good luck with your journey. I hope it is in a better direction than mine.

Re: Why "Orwellian"?

Hi all! Just popping through, I am so sorry to hear of the frustrating and upsetting situation you went through when contacting a helpline @Orwellian  - as a user of a service you have certain rights and responsibilities including confidentiality and being told what the limits to that confidentiality are. There is more info here: Charter of healthcare rights

 

Speaking with reputable helplines is indeed confidential @Serenity1  - apart from a specific circumstance I'll talk about below. You can speak openly and honestly about what is going on for you to discuss with them. However, services do have to (by law) make notifications to emergency services in very specific circumstances, which is if you tell them all of the following three things:

  • you have a plan to harm yourself or someone else in a significant/serious way
  • you have everything you need to carry out that plan, and
  • you have an intention to carry it out right now.

This is because if the three things above are happening services have to try to save your life and keep you safe. While it can be scary, to avoid being misunderstood try to make sure you tell services if any of the above is not true (For example- you have a plan but don't have any intention of carrying it out at the moment) If you feel you were misunderstood and you were not at risk, you can still hopefully understand where a helpline is coming from in trying to maintain your safety.

Re: Why "Orwellian"?

That sounds all fine and dandy @Lauz  but it does not pan out that way in the real world.  All good if you make contact when you are completely rational but then you have little need of the service. 

If you are distressed it can be a lot more confusing.  That is where the “law” works against you. It can end up with being dragged away and traumatised. 

It being the “law” means that I am now excluded from all those services. I cannot risk going through that again. It seems that discussing that legal situation is often off limits. 

Re: Why "Orwellian"?

Hi Orwellian, we're very sorry about the experience you have been through with some of the services. Whilst we don't deny your experience at all, a lot of people have been very thankful of their experiences with helplines along the road of their recovery journey.
It is important people know that their conversations with counsellors are confidential in most instances except when there's an imminent risk. For more info on your rights as a caller utilising these services, please refer to the PACFA code of ethics here: https://www.pacfa.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/PACFA-Code-of-Ethics-2017.pdf

Re: Why "Orwellian"?

I can only speak about my experience and the problems I encountered. 

YMMV

Re: Why "Orwellian"?

@Orwellian I can completely understand how that experience could have led to you feeling suicidal- you were reaching out for help & ended up being misunderstood & completely & utterly traumatised as a result of a so called "help line"- I'm so sorry that this happened to you it is just not right- I have had a bad experience with a helpline myself - nowhere near as bad as yours-& that left me feeling suicidal- although I would never act on it- the man I was speaking to was an elderly man & an ex principal- he was getting angry at me because I was trying to talk to him about the problems my daughter was having at school & with the principal & teachers- I kept trying to direct the conversation towards the reason I had called being my daughter being bullied how it was affecting her & not being supported or even believed by the staff-& he refused to believe what I was telling him- started arguing with me- trying to argue- I was trying everything not to-& he ended up blaming me & being abusive towards me- saying horrible things such as " I can see why the teachers have a problem interacting with you "- which is an insult- & I had never said that was the case this was his personal opinion- a helpline- when I was on the verge of a breakdown- that is how I was treated & spoken to- completely misunderstood & I was completely devastated-
I filled in a complaint from email & told them he did not deserve to be working in that position of power with vulnerable people- as he had completely made the call about him & his experiences & made my mental health decline dramatically when I was already on the edge- they sent me an email saying they would look into it & they would like to call me to talk about it- but they never called me- now I am scared to call that line incase I get him again- but it is the easiest one to get through to 😭 Really sorry that happened to you you did not deserve that
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