A popular Canberra psychiatrist who "went AWOL" left lives in limbo, patients and employees say.
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Matthew Peter Sellen had conditions placed on his ability to practice after patients claimed he left them without medication, reports and welfare payments.
The psychiatrist treated patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism and gender divergence.
Four weeks without medication
Many former patients of Dr Sellen spoke to The Canberra Times.
Isabelle Shepphard, 25, only had four appointments with then-Canberra-based psychiatrist Dr Sellen before complaining to the health regulator, Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
She was left without ADHD medication for a month when "Matt went AWOL".
The Chief Health Officer intervened, giving Ms Shepphard's GP authority to prescribe her medication.
AHPRA told Ms Shepphard that after her complaint, Dr Sellen had conditions placed on his practice.
He cannot work without mentorship and education on timely communication, practice management and documentation.
Matthew Arthur said he struggled to get in contact with Dr Sellen after his second appointment in 2021, and it stopped him getting the disability support pension.
"Not being able to contact Dr Sellen has lost me potential jobs as I've been unable to get him to sign paperwork to affirm that I am able to work with my mental disability issues," he said.
Mr Arthur said he could not afford to get another assessment from a different psychiatrist.
Page resident Jeremy, 38, also complained to the regulator about Dr Sellen. He asked we not use his surname.
Jeremy said he had a phone appointment with Dr Sellen on April 1 2023, a day after Dr Sellen had restrictions placed.
He said despite paying $760, he was not given a script or referral for his general practitioner (GP) to prescribe the medication.
Jeremy said he eventually gave up trying to contact Dr Sellen, and an expensive attempt at using an online health platform to see a different psychiatrist failed because that doctor stopped using the platform.
"Both experiences disillusioned me from seeking further help," he said.
Australian National University linguistics student Raghav Sharma-Burton, 27, said he dropped out of three university courses after being unable to get his ADHD medication from Dr Sellen in April 2023.
Mr Sharma-Burton said he found out Dr Sellen was no longer practicing in the ACT after reading a post on Reddit.
Dr Sellen is now working at the Toowong Specialist Clinic in Queensland.
Patients said he had not contacted them to sort out outstanding paperwork.
Schedule 8 medication
ADHD medications are controlled medicines under Commonwealth legislation.
A Canberra general practitioner can only prescribe ADHD medication when given authority by a psychiatrist or - in extreme circumstances - the ACT chief health officer.
In October, an ACT Health spokesperson said they had an increase in requests from patients and practitioners asking for help with prescribing over the previous six months.
Going without medication can have dire impacts on people with ADHD, secretary of Canberra and Queanbeyan ADD Support Group Inc Beryl Gover said.
"Some might even lose their jobs, some may have problems with their relationships, and you lose your job, you haven't got money coming in," she said.
Dr Sellen did not comment directly.
He gave Australian Medical Association ACT branch president Walter Abhayaratna permission to speak to The Canberra Times on his behalf.
Dr Sellen had personal issues impacting his ability to work and had no one to pass patients to, Dr Abhayaratna said.
"[Dr Sellen's] needs were so great. Despite his efforts to address them, there was no support that would allow him to address his needs. He continued to work at a time where his demands were exceeding his capacity to actually do the right thing by patients," he said.
'People were desperate'
Former employees claim Dr Sellen, who set up his private practice in 2018, had administrative issues for years.
Dr Sellen set up a private practice advertised as specialising in neurodivergence.
The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists does not offer extra training in neurodivergence, but Dr Sellen has been on several committees at the college, including the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder network.
Julie* worked for Dr Sellen prior to COVID-19.
She said she was so concerned by the experience she raised concerns with Disability ACT and the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA).
The NDIA refused to comment. The Office for Disability said it did not have any authority to investigate medical practitioners.
Julie said she was shocked to learn Dr Sellen was still practising in Canberra as late as 2023.
"I'm quite surprised that it's only being dealt with now, because I thought it was being dealt with back then," she said.
Julie was concerned that Dr Sellen rushed patients into his clinic without properly assessing them.
"He could charge whatever he liked because people were desperate," she said.
She claimed Dr Sellen would say the same things to each patient, and prescribe them the same medication regardless of their diagnosis.
"I could hear it through the walls, the exact same thing. It was quite frightening," she said.
"I really think that everybody who saw him really needs to connect to another... psychiatrist to make sure that they have the right medications, right supports and right services."
Julie said she wanted to remain anonymous because working for Dr Sellen was "oppressive and scary" and she was "frightened of him".
Yagmur Box worked for Dr Sellen in early 2019.
"He was never really on top of anything unless I asked him," she said.
Ms Box said Dr Sellen was intense and angry, and would watch her on CCTV set up in the waiting area.
"It wasn't a great environment to work at and it made me anxious," she said.
Another employee, Faye* worked for Dr Sellen in the year before he left the ACT in March 2023.
She said he knew he would be leaving a month before he did, but asked administrative staff not to tell patients.
Faye insisted Dr Sellen was a "very good person but very immature" and overwhelmed.
Faye said when she first started working for the psychiatrist there were hundreds of outstanding emails which took months to deal with.
Faye decided to speak to The Canberra Times because while she believes Dr Sellen was well-intentioned, her "heart breaks" for patients left behind.
"Parents and kids were left with nothing," she said.
"He was in a position of power he shouldn't have been."
Faye said Dr Sellen felt an overwhelming responsibility for an ever-growing group of patients.
She said she knew many patients reported him to AHPRA, but did not do so herself.
"I didn't have much hope in what AHPRA would do [but I also did not go to AHPRA] because I cared about Matt... and he did care about us," Faye said.
Systemic issues
The ACT has a shortage of psychiatrists, leading to long waiting lists.
Most Canberrans are forced to see psychiatrists in Sydney or through telehealth as local doctors have closed books, Ms Gover said.
She said it was very expensive to get a diagnosis for ADHD. Only a psychiatrist can diagnose an adult.
Dr Abhayaratna said this situation was the result of several systemic issues, including a lack of support for doctors.
Dr Abhayaratna said the systems available were unable to properly help Dr Sellen, despite him reaching out for support.
Dr Sellen operated his own practice by himself.
"He was not able to share the load of patients and wondered, 'who would see these patients if I don't? Is the service I can provide better than no service?'" Dr Abhayaratna said.
"There needs to be a community of practice to be able to support providers."
Specialists and general practitioners don't automatically share information like medical records in the ACT, Dr Abhayaratna said.
"It very much improves the coordination of care and integration of care when everyone can see records," he said.
'Most empathetic' doctor
Patients described Dr Sellen as an empathetic and understanding doctor.
Meaghan Newson, who was diagnosed with autism and ADHD late in life, said Dr Sellen was "one of the most empathetic people" she had ever met.
"He's someone with a huge amount of expertise, incredibly well across the academic literature [and] amazingly empathetic and will ask questions that no neurotypical practitioner would necessarily," she said.
A parent of one of Dr Sellen's former patients, who asked to remain unnamed for her daughter's anonymity, said she would be "forever grateful" to the psychiatrist.
"He helped her understand her conditions and how to live with them, and he helped save her. I think he's brilliant," the mother said.
She said she was aware from social media that many people complained to AHPRA about Dr Sellen.
"I'm the first person to complain and write letters, but I just think it was counterproductive to him. I think this outcome is the worst outcome for the Canberra community... given how rare psychiatrists are in the ACT," she said.
AHPRA did not comment on Dr Sellen specifically.
RANZCP said they do not have an internal complaints process or authority to investigate members.
*Names changed