Forced Psychiatric Treatment or Care

Nathany- Keep fighting strong!

I really can't even type anything that will express my feeling about this.(I had a experience that was pretty bad- nothing like the stories here)

We can only learn from our mistakes and improve our future.

Isme, have you even considered that someone in the depths of psychosis and comitting arson doesn't have anywhere to go but up?

For instance, if she is around today, probably it is because she ended up getting better somehow, and most people that don't end up dying from something get better eventually. Do you think that the psychiatric treatment was necessarily what did it though?

There have been a lot of treatments through history like skull boring and bleeding that have been very popular because people eventually get better a lot of the time and people associate it with the treatments they have had. But if the cost is great it doesn't follow that something should be done just because it seems to work in individual cases. That kind of anecdotal evidence can make just about any snake oil look good, or at least better than nothing.

Mesmerized wrote:Isme, have you even considered that someone in the depths of psychosis and comitting arson doesn't have anywhere to go but up?

I had considered that, yes. But having also considered that there certainly *is* the possibility of going further down (my mother was very close to successful suicide at that point) I'd rather she was sectioned and treated and I still have a mother.

Of course I'd rather she had had the help she needed in the community much earlier on... but that doesn't always happen for various reasons (including "she's not ill enough to make her a risk" - sure, not now, but months down the line...?)

I was really sorry to read of NathanY's bad experience and of the other bad experiences of the people who have posted here. I do not know what is happening in mental health in California but on the East Coast where I work it is not (usually) as bad.

I do aftercare in psychiatry and have heard some bad stories. I have also heard from patients and their families who were gratetful that someone intervened. This is not an attempt to diminish the real pain and suffering that posters have experienced.

Please know at the facility where I work there is pressure to keep lengths of stay as short as possible. In fact, I regularly hear complaints about patients being discharged too soon.

There is a lawyer on the premesis who will represent patients if they feel their rights are being violated. He is not very popular because he wins cases. While patients are sometime medicated over objection, the staff must present alot of evidence to do this.

ECT is so rare in our facility that they have to remind the clinicians that it is an option. Most of our doctors are VERY disinclined to use it.

The staff tries to work with patients to try to find medications that work for the patient. Family meetings are mandatory unless the patient refuses to allow family participation.

We have to try to find doctors in the community for patients so patients can have an alternative to coming into the Psychiatric Emergency Room.

Our facility is not perfect, and I cannot understand why certain of my jaded collegues do not find employment in another field, but please know that there are some caring professionals that are trying to help people despite the imperfections of the system.