The parents of a young woman with bipolar disorder say she committed suicide after being harassed over a National Disability Insurance Scheme debt.
Hannah Friebel, 27, told her mother in April that she was “going for a drive” but never came home. She had “sunk into a deep depression” and had already committed murder twice before.
Her father John claimed that the National Disability Insurance Agency (which administers the NDIS program)’s continued demands for Hannah to repay $27,963.98 were driving his daughter to despair.
“From our perspective, pursuing that guilt was the cause of her depression, which ultimately led to her death,” Friebel said. A current case.
‘For the first time since she received the report, Hannah became depressed.
“We had never seen it before. The report came in September and in October she was already taking antidepressants.”
The NDIS notifications related to 266 subsequently rejected claims that Hannah, a creative dancer and associate professor at Monash University in Melbourne, had made under a self-managed plan dating back to April 2022.
The amounts ranged from $4 to $5,991 for counseling services and the purchase of a “therapy dog,” and $3,700 for food, which Hannah’s mother Jennie said she ordered when her daughter couldn’t cook.
Hannah Friebel, 27, committed suicide in April after being pursued by the NDIS for a $28,000 debt
John Friebel said the demands plunged his daughter Hannah (left) into a deep depression
The letter stated that the amounts had to be repaid because ‘it is unlikely that you will require the support due to your disability support needs’.
Four years before she registered with the NDIS, Hannah was diagnosed with bipolar I disorder. Initially, she received support that the agency called ‘plan-driven’.
However, Hannah switched to a ‘self-management plan’ and that’s where the problems started, according to Mrs Friebel
She said it was fine if Hannah was feeling well.
“But when she’s not well, one of the symptoms of mania is delusions of grandeur, big ideas, and excessive spending. And I think, ‘How is this going to work out for her?’”
Ms Friebel said that after Hannah lost her job at the hospital she had “no means” to repay the debt and the NDIA continued to pursue her even after she moved back in with her parents.
“About once a week they would call me (the NDIA) asking what kind of payment plan there was to repay this money,” Friebel said.
Despite her mental health issues, Hannah was still cheerful.
“You could see her as soon as she walked into the room, she always had a big smile on her face,” Mrs. Friebel recalled.
Hannah had a happy childhood in Bayside Melbourne, before a more challenging side of her personality emerged as she grew older.
“She started walking through the streets with a cane and telling us to do certain things,” Friebel said.
‘She was admitted to hospital with psychosis and mania.’
Two weeks ago, before Hannah committed suicide, the NDIA contacted Ms Friebel to say they would stop collecting the debt ‘at this time’.
But the promising news did nothing to improve Hannah’s prospects.
Mrs. Friebel will never forget answering the door when there was a knock and finding a police officer “blushing and red in the face.”
Hannah Friebel’s parents, John and Jennie Friebel (pictured centre and right), say the NDIA showed no mercy when demanding Hannah repay the debt.
Hannah Friebel was a talented dancer before her life went off the rails
“And they said we were fine, are you fine?” said Mrs. Friebel.
“I said, ‘I’m fine,’ I just want to see my daughter, and then they said, ‘She’s dead.’”
The Friebels do not hold the NDIA responsible for Hannah’s death, but believe a review of the agency’s procedures could prevent a similar tragedy in the future.
“Instead of managing their spending through an audit that takes months and years, I think they should be reviewing and approving transactions as they are submitted, so they don’t have any risk of ever incurring debt,” Mr. Friebel said.
A former, anonymous NDIS worker told the programme that the number of people self-management plans ‘got out of hand’.
Mental health advocacy group SANE called on the NDIA to provide better support to clients with self-care insurance.
“Choice and control are fundamental, so everyone who has access to a scheme should have the right to manage themselves,” said Rachel Green, CEO of SANE Australia.
‘What the NDIS should have done, and urgently needs to do, is provide people like Hannah with the support they need, educate them, coach them and give them the opportunity to successfully implement their plans.
‘It shouldn’t be this complicated to determine whether you are insured for something.’
The NDIA extends its deepest condolences to Hannah’s family and recognises the incredibly difficult time they have been through.
“The agency continues to meet and work with Hannah’s family to discuss how we can enhance the way we support participants, including recent improvements and proposed legislative changes in the Getting the NDIS Back on Track Bill,” a statement said.
‘The NDIA is aware of the challenges associated with the claims process and has already implemented changes to improve this.’
‘Since January 2024, the NDIA has been making significant improvements to make it ‘easier for people to get it right’ and thus minimise the risk of abuse or debt.’
Hannah’s family do not blame the NDIA for their daughter’s death, but hope their procedures are improved to prevent a similar tragedy from happening again.
NDIS Minister Bill Shorten described Hannah’s death as a terrible loss and agreed the previous payment system should not have allowed this to happen.
“It is important to recognize that the agency did not want to collect Hannah’s debts before her death. I understand that they had notified her and her family of this fact in advance,” he said.
“I know the agency is speaking directly to John and Jenny about reforming the NDIS payment systems. Many of the changes to the bill that we hope to pass tomorrow will strengthen the payment system to prevent claims from being made,” he said.
For confidential 24-hour support, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636.
