Matt has tried to kill himself and has physically abused Adam. On one occasion he threw his brother across the room. Another time he slapped him so hard it left a huge red handprint on his younger sibling’s back. Adam now lives in fear of his brother and has developed a stutter. Rachel is terrified Matt’s violent behaviour will escalate to the point where he will actually end up killing himself, or someone else. “He has run in front of cars and even searched the kitchen for knives in attempts to take his own life,” she said. “He bashes his head, bites and punches himself, puts holes in the walls and hurts others. He can be so violent and out of control that I fear he will kill either himself, his little brother, me or even an innocent child.

“He has beaten me up, punched me in the stomach, kicked me and spat at me. “I have to restrain him but I struggle. It breaks my heart.” Matt slapped his brother so hard the toddler was left with a red handprint on his back. Within the first eight weeks of this term, the Year 3 student has been at school just 10 days and was suspended after attacking the deputy principal and two education assistants. Just this year Matt has been taken to Rockingham Hospital twice, Fiona Stanley Hospital once and the Perth Children’s Hospital three times.

Most recently the young boy ended up in the psychiatric ward at PCH after trying to kill himself outside Rockingham Hospital. On March 19, after seeing a private paediatrician at Rockingham, staff tried taking Matt’s blood to have it tested, but he refused and ended up spitting at the nurses and threw his shoes at them. “He then ran outside in front of cars trying to kill himself and I couldn’t catch up to him,” Rachel said. “He was saying he wanted to die. It was scary.” An off-duty paramedic saw Matt bolt in front of cars and grabbed the boy from harm's way before getting him in to his mother’s car.

Matt (8) with mum Rachel. Credit:Lauren Pilat Matt jumped out of the car and made another run for it, at which point Rachel rang police in fear her son would be hit by oncoming traffic. Rachel said it took six police officers to catch and restrain the boy, pinning him to the ground before taking him back to Rockingham Hospital. “The police said their hands were tied because he was eight, but had he been 10 he would have been arrested for assault for the way he was attacking and spitting at them,” she said. “He was put in a paddy wagon and taken up to Rockingham Hospital where we were put in a room with security guards to make sure he didn’t get out.

“They ended up having to sedate him and gave him two needles to knock him out.” Matt was later transferred to PCH and admitted to the psych ward where he spent a week after Rachel expressed concerns her son had bipolar. “There’s a strong family link of bipolar on his dad’s side and he definitely has traits of the disorder, which was confirmed when we went to the Complex Attention and Hyperactivity Disorder Service at Murdoch University last year, but he hasn’t been diagnosed with it,” she said. "There's also family history of substance abuse and depression, I believe his mental health concerns are greater than what he's been diagnosed for. “It was hard and sad having to leave my child at the psych ward every day, I’ve never left him with anyone else other than my mum."

If he doesn’t get the help he needs, something tragic will happen and I do not want to bury my little boy. Matt's mother Rachel Matt left PCH on March 26, with his discharge summary stating throughout his admission he “consistently demonstrated poor frustration tolerance, with rapid escalation of anger including threatening behaviours when his perceived needs were not met.” On admission, Matt was taking prescribed antidepressants which were stopped once in PCH. He hasn’t been on any medication since leaving PCH, but at one point in Matt’s life Rachel said he was taking five different prescribed tablets a day to calm his behaviour. Nothing seemed to work. During his violent outbursts, Matt has vandalised his family home, including punching holes in the walls.

“I don’t want the labels just to be an excuse for his behaviour, there is something more going on with him that needs to be addressed," his mother said. “Counselling at Anglicare in Rockingham has seemed to be one of the only things we’ve tried that has helped, but those appointments are once a fortnight. “Medication is my absolute last option, and for me to say he needs to go back on medication now is a big thing, we just have to get the right diagnosis and dosage of medicine to make sure things improve.” Rachel is desperate to get the help her son needs to ensure her nightmare of losing a son won’t end up a reality. “I’m absolutely desperate to get the correct help he urgently requires … if he doesn’t get the help he needs, something tragic will happen and I do not want to bury my little boy.”

According to the 2015 Report on the Second Australian Child and Adolescent Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, about one in seven (13.9 per cent) four to 17-year-olds had mental disorders. ADHD was the most common disorder reported, followed by anxiety, major depressive disorder and conduct disorder. Murdoch Psychology Child Clinic director Dr Renita Almeida said based on that same report, about one in 13 (7.5 per cent) 12-17-year-olds had seriously considered suicide in the previous 12 months, and one in 20 had made a plan. Loading The report excluded children under 12 who had considered suicide.

Dr Almeida said there was a large body of evidence indicating the quality of parent-child attachment relationships played a significant role in the development of child behaviour problems. “Genes and experiences, importantly early parent-child relational interactions, work together to develop brain architecture,” she said. “As such, more attachment-informed preventative programs that highlight the importance of responsive caregiving are needed, along with changes to wider economic, organisational, political and educational systems to support early attachment relationships.” *Names have been changed. If you are experiencing mental health issues contact LifeLine WA on 13 11 14, the Suicide Call Back Serviceon 1300 659 467, or the MensLine Australia on 1300 789 978.