For several years she has fought a battle. A fight against the system, a fight against the disease and a fight against the dark thoughts. Earlier this summer, Ariel Charlotte Samdahl tried to give up the fight for the second time. – She was crass about messaging us parents, says mother Hege Christin Samdahl. She got a nasty feeling this Saturday night in July. She went to her daughter’s apartment, and she arrived in the count’s time. With bloody arms, Ariel welcomed her mother, who immediately called 113. – I was quite hysterical and thought: They have to help her. She has been overlooked so much. The 22-year-old likes to be creative, and much of the day is spent coloring and painting. Photo: Lena Erikke Hatland / news Difficult to get help AMK would not send an ambulance, according to the mother. They transferred her to the emergency room, to what they said was a priority queue. They could send an ambulatory emergency team, but it was going to take a long time when they were out on a mission. She was asked if she could take her daughter to the emergency department herself. At the same time, Ariel stood with a towel which she pressed against the wounds. – We hurried down. But there was certainly no rush, says mother Hege Christin. It must have taken 15 minutes before Ariel was allowed in to see a nurse. Here the wounds were washed and wrapped. They were told that a doctor would look at it. – I was shaking, tired and dizzy. It felt strange, says the 22-year-old. After an hour and a half she was called up. According to the mother, they had let many people in in the meantime. “The actual meetings with the doctor and nurses were good, they were very pleasant and careful, so that is not the problem. The problem is that it is so difficult to get emergency help.” wrote the mother in an e-mail to news after the incident. Ariel was stitched, glued, stripped and bandaged. The mother wanted admission, and the daughter agreed. “Finally”, Hege Christin thought. Ariel has never agreed to it before. But the 22-year-old was still sent home alone. news has been in contact with Trondheim municipality, and presented them with the criticism, but the head of health and care says that they do not want to be interviewed in this case. Ariel loves animals, and has a mini hamster that she lights up when she talks about it. Photo: Lena Erikke Hatland / news More psychologists To understand why Ariel has gotten to where she is today, we have to go back several years in time. She was seven years old when she started having problems. At the age of eleven, she was diagnosed with chronic migraine. The 22-year-old herself believes that the disease has contributed to making her mentally ill, and two years ago it became really serious. Then the mother no longer recognized her daughter, who she describes as severely depressed. One day she took her to the doctor, and she was urgently referred to DPS. She only got an appointment two months later. Over the next eight months, Ariel went to three different psychologists because one by one they quit their jobs. “I feel very insecure when I go to someone new,” she had said beforehand. The calendar showed September 5, 2021 when Ariel tried to take her own life for the first time. A few weeks later she got an appointment with the third psychologist. Then he also told me that he was going to quit. – We understand that people quit, but now it was three in a row, says the mother, who sent a complaint to the hospital director. That led to a meeting with DPS, which the mother says has not resolved anything. The daughter refuses to go here because she has been tossed between therapists. Longer waiting lists St. Olav’s hospital does not wish to comment on the matter due to confidentiality obligations, but responds on a general basis. Clinic manager Elin Ulleberg at the mental health care clinic at St. Olav writes that the waiting time for a psychologist will vary depending on the condition. It is the symptoms and functional level of the patient that determine if and when you receive an offer. St. Olav had an increase of 1,517 referrals from 2019 to 2021. This means that more people are now on the waiting list, according to the clinic manager. The average waiting time is 48 days to see a psychologist, but Ulleberg points out that the hospital ensures rapid help in case of acute conditions. That Ariel has to deal with several psychologists is not desirable or optimal, believes Ulleberg. – Throwing balls in the system Mental Health knows that many people recognize Ariel’s situation. – We definitely experience that many people become pawns in the system, says Sigrid Øyen Mull. She is a press officer and deputy head of the organisation’s response services. Their experience is that patients become so-called throwaways due to long waiting lists and compensatory offers in the meantime. Thus, patients have to lay their souls on the table, again and again, as Mull says. Sigrid Øyen Mull. Photo: Mental Health The organisation’s response services receive approximately 1,500 inquiries a day. Mull says many people are now making contact because they find the summer challenging, especially since the support system has been reduced. – Loneliness and the closed treatment offer are prominent in conversations in the summer, says Mull. The organization is critical of the long waiting lists to speak to a psychologist. They constantly receive inquiries from young people, who find it particularly difficult. – When you are 18 years old, waiting for several months feels like half a lifetime. We have many inquiries from young people who choose not to apply when it is their turn, and who think: I need help now, not in three months, says Mull. Bets on mental health Ellen Rønning-Arnesen (Ap) is state secretary in the Ministry of Health and Care. She says mental health is one of the government’s priority areas. The aim is to prevent better, to know more about why mental illness is increasing. They also want to strengthen municipal services and the offer to the hospitals. The government has commissioned the hospitals to introduce assessment interviews. This means that everyone who is referred to psychiatry must have a conversation with a professional at the hospital, before they are referred further. – The goal is for the waiting lists to decrease, says the state secretary. Rønning-Arnesen believes the most important thing the government can do to reduce patients’ experience of being thrown balls is to bring in more professionals. – Mental health is a priority area for the government. When can we expect to see a real improvement? – Our first budget came this autumn, and the escalation plan for mental health will be presented in 2023, says the state secretary. – I’m still here Back in the apartment in Trondheim, mother Hege Christin sits with her daughter Ariel. – Can you describe how it feels inside you when it becomes like that Christmas evening? – Everything just became too much. Nothing is okay anymore. I don’t want to eat, I don’t want to drink. I don’t want to be awake, says Ariel. On this day, she has put her hair up in a top with a red bow that matches the skirt in many colors. You couldn’t have guessed that four days earlier she tried to take her own life. – I have asked for help so many times. I don’t have the energy to go on like this. Then it is better to give up. – What are your hopes for the future? – I don’t have much hope. But I’m still here, and that’s something, says Ariel. Need someone to talk to? Several helplines, chat services and support groups can help you share your thoughts and feelings completely anonymously. Mental Health: 116 123 The Church’s SOS: 22 40 00 40 For children and young people: The emergency telephone for children and young people: 116 111 Cross on the neck (run by the Red Cross): 800 333 21 Source: Helsenorge
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Ariel tried to take her own life, now both she and her mother are calling for help before it’s too late – news Trøndelag
