Sussex woman says mental health unit left her with trauma and PTSD

June 5, 2026 - 11:59

A 20-year-old woman from Sussex has spoken out about the lasting damage she says was caused by her time in a mental health unit, describing the experience as deeply traumatic. Dulcie, who did not give her full name, said the care she received left her with post-traumatic stress disorder rather than helping her recover.

Now, she is backing a new community-based scheme designed to keep young people in crisis out of hospital. The program allows teenagers and young adults to receive intensive mental health support at home, with a team of specialists visiting them in their own environment. Dulcie believes this approach would have been far better for her.

"Being in the unit made everything worse. I felt scared, isolated, and not listened to," she said. "It took me a long time to understand that what I went through was not my fault, but the system failed me."

The new initiative, which has been rolled out in parts of Sussex, aims to provide a calm and familiar setting for young people experiencing a mental health emergency. Supporters argue that removing a young person from their home and placing them in an unfamiliar ward can increase anxiety and slow recovery.

Dulcie hopes that by sharing her story, more families will push for home-based care. "No one should have to go through what I did," she said. "This new way of helping people could save lives."