I first sought out an ADHD diagnosis when I was 23, and the psychiatrist told me, “No, actually you just have the learning capacity of a 16-year-old due to your drug addiction.” Yikes. It took me a couple of years to wrestle with that message – to make sure I rejected it on a deep level – before I tried again with another doctor. And boom, I was right: my ADHD scored off the charts. No wonder amphetamines help my brain feel regulated.

'For 20 years my life has revolved around that overdose.'

Katrina is a peer distributor for NUAA in a small rural town in NSW. She’s known she’s had hep C for 6 years but has found it hard to get treated because of the lack of services in her area and past experiences of stigma within a health care setting.

Matthew has a big scar, with an even bigger story. He says it’s the “what not to do” tale that completely changed the way he injects.

Siobhan was stunned into silence by her patronising doctor. While that time she made a strategic decision not to confront him, now she demands health workers show her the respect that she deserves.

Wayne was finding stigma a barrier to even getting health complaints diagnosed, let alone treated. That's why, finding a professional, non-stigmatising doctor was like “a breath of fresh air”.

Molly talks about how some health workers made her unwilling to be open about recreational drug use. And the slightly unorthodox way some ER workers put her at ease.

People from overseas may face particular challenges seeking health care such as hepatitis C assessment, treatment and care.

Chad has written this opinion piece, reflecting on the shifting sands around accessing prescription opioids based on his own use of pain medications

Check out what the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights and the NSW OTP Clinical Guidelines have to say about your rights.