My best friend got locked up in a psych ward

I feel guilty about it for a lot of reasons. We met each other in group therapy back when we were in high school and we've kept in touch ever since, and he "gets" me and I "get" him, which makes it so much easier to let my guard down around him and open up to him and vice versa. He was diagnosed schizoaffective bipolar subtype and I can always tell when he is about to go into mania-- he stops sleeping and wants me to stay up all night with him. Usually I would drop everything and just focus on him and keep him from getting into too much mischief, but I have been so busy lately with so many things all at once, I dropped the ball with him and I let him down. I feel terrible about it. He had come to rely on me and I wasn't there for him when he needed me most. I'm sorry. Now he won't have a chance to get out of there until about September.

This is for him...

https://youtu.be/Gy-VT01hn90

epthe wrote:Now he won't have a chance to get out of there until about September.

How did he get stuck with 6 months ??

They call it the mental health court diversion program, in essence to avoid going to regular jail, he completes an in-patient program. He had already agreed to it before they would even let me speak to him because I am not a relative of his. I would've told him to take his chances with the regular court system and regular jail because he probably wouldn't have had to do 6 months, and maybe even get off with just probation. He is still going to owe some restitution for the property damage when he gets out and I don't know how he is going to pay for that.

The thing is I told him long before this to not say anything if he gets arrested, and he didn't listen to me. They recorded video of him with body cameras, and everything he said was used against him.

Sadly I give advice to people but it doesn't do any good.

That sucks, property damage was my MO when things got manic. Hated hurting my hand punching holes in walls dumbsh^t like that.


https://mindfreedom.org/campaign/defense-package/


I am sure mental health court diversion programs can include forced drugging, my reason for not letting them drug me or over drug me in the hospital is because I knew when I left I was not going to keep taking that garbage living life as a zombie and would have to endure withdrawal reactions after weeks of exposure and facing the same thing during withdrawal that landed my their, insomnia possible leading to "mania" with some alcohol intake along the way. I often give in to drinking when can't sleep.

I included the link thinking maybe if he lets them know he is aware of his rights they might back off with the nasty drugging if that is part of the program. I have heard so many patients say "they told me I have to take it" with no a clue of their rights and no backup making it too easy for them to just load them up and put them in the nueroleptic storage bin sitting in front of the TV eating and getting fat and calling it "better".

Too make the best of a bad situation It might be fun to send him information on human rights and the truth about psychiatry to distribute to the others he is with caught up in the same situation.