Five Queensland siblings have been left devastated by their sister's suicide, just days after she was released from a public mental health unit. The decision to discharge the woman came three months after she was severely injured in an earlier suicide attempt, on the grounds of a hospital north of Brisbane. Psychiatrists say Queensland’s mental health system is broken, and whoever wins the upcoming election needs to spend an extra $300 million a year - to urgently bolster services.
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00:00On this beach in late May, a much-loved sister took her own life.
00:13When she was well, Angie Johnson was known for her vibrant, caring and funny nature.
00:19But the woman who dreamed of running a dog refuge had for decades struggled with mental
00:24illness and deep childhood scars.
00:29It always plagued her.
00:30It was always conscious in her mind.
00:33Angie's body was found by a walker on a Monday morning.
00:37The 41-year-old had been released from a large mental health unit on the Friday afternoon
00:42after her inpatient involuntary treatment order was changed to community treatment.
00:49Her brother says she told staff she was going to stay with a friend, but never went.
00:55No one was told.
00:57No one was contacted.
01:00Angie's brother and sisters say her death was foreseeable and they'd repeatedly warned
01:05she was at risk of hurting herself.
01:07She was at the Royal Brisbane because she'd tried to take her life three months earlier
01:12at a different hospital.
01:14That attempt, after leaving Caboolture Hospital's mental health facility, left her severely
01:20injured.
01:21I feel that she was abandoned by the system and we were powerless to stop it.
01:27Metro North has acknowledged the profound impact this loss has had on loved ones.
01:33It says a thorough review into the care provided to this patient and the circumstances surrounding
01:39her death has been undertaken.
01:42These findings have been collated to be shared with the family.
01:47Brisbane Garton lives with serious mental illness after a history of trauma.
01:52Over the decades, the former triathlete, police officer and health care worker has been a
01:57patient in many of Brisbane's ageing public mental health facilities, including the RBWH.
02:05You wouldn't put a dog in there, like, it's terrifying.
02:10She hasn't needed hospital stay for more than three years thanks to stable housing,
02:15a dedicated psychologist and her lifelong love of exercise.
02:25Support through the NDIS has also been a lifeline, not available in the state system.
02:31Staff are doing the best they can with, you know, nothing, and I mean less than nothing.
02:37The College of Psychiatrists says Queensland's mental health services are not coping.
02:43We often have to discharge people prematurely because there are sicker people waiting in
02:48the emergency department for their beds.
02:50In 2023, Labor launched a mental health levy paid by big businesses.
02:56Treasury estimates it will have generated almost $500 million last financial year.
03:03But doctors say an extra $300 million is needed annually to fund the sector properly.
03:09They've either got to find that through other taxation means or increase the levy.
03:17Angie Johnson's siblings say they're struggling with guilt,
03:20even though they did everything they could to get her help.
03:25I can't make any sense of it.
03:28It was painfully obvious to see that she was in a terrible state.