are patients in psych. hospitals forced to take medications?

Suppose that one day you become unable to cope with your problems, and the next thing you know, your psychologist freaks out or whatever, calls the cops, and asks them to escort you to the nearest mental hospital, where you are committed against your will for an extended period of time. Once in the hospital, the doctors, in all their wisdom, decide that the best course of action is to put you on psychotropic medications until you show improvement.

What happens if you refuse the medications?

My understanding is that doctors don't physically force patients to take medications (there would be legal implications if they forced patients to take medications against their will), but in practice they play mind games with the patient until the patient is exhausted and decides to accept the medications not because he wants them but because he wants to end the harassment. In other words, the doctors wouldn't take a "no" for an answer and argue with the patient until the patient surrenders.

most medications come in an "injectable" form. if you refuse to take them by mouth, you WILL take them by needle. no choice, and they are authorized to use restraint if you try to fight back. just FYI

I've only SEEN it happen when an indivual became violent or agitated, such as breaking objects, attacking people. Even when someone was in the severe throes of their issues, to my knowledge, they still ostensibly had the right to refuse medication. Last time, the psychiatrist told me he thought I was going to die if I was released, so they held me against my will. But, they never forced medication down my throat.

If the powers-that-be determine that someone needs medication/whatever, but said person, lets say "Jim", does not wish to take them, a court hearing CAN be arranged where more authorities CAN "force" Jim to take them, but I don't know to what extent they would force Jim, wether it be simply retaining Jim against his will, or literally forcing the drugs down his throat.

I think this is rare though. I've been told by dozens of doctors/social workers/therapists that I need medication, and I always refused. The closest I ever got to that was a potential hearing that never came to be.

udaitaxim wrote: Last time, the psychiatrist told me he thought I was going to die if I was released, so they held me against my will.

The next time your psychiatrist makes a clever argument like that one, remind him that he is correct, that as a mortal being, you are a going to die, whether you are released or not.

actualy... You CAN be forced into taking medication, Im not sure what the law is in the United States but in England if you are on a section 3 (held biggenst you will for 8 mounths) then your doctor has the right to pin you down and inject you with medication, this is if you refuse to take it oraly. If you are admitted to a secure unit (dont mix it up with a normal mental health hospital, it is still a mental health hospital but with more security procedures) you can be injected even though your not on a section. Iv seen it happen so many times, some nurses even used it as a form of PUNISHMENT for disobeying them. It was horrible. One girl (who eventual killed herself in there cear) one night was crying uncontrollably (she was not aggresive) and they pinned her down and injected her, after she just layed there on the floor, they didnt even bother to move her to some where more confortable.

Its truely shocking

They can force it to you if you are in a bad state, threatening to harm yourself etc.
Not all psych patients are forced to take medication.

Sigm wrote:

udaitaxim wrote: Last time, the psychiatrist told me he thought I was going to die if I was released, so they held me against my will.

The next time your psychiatrist makes a clever argument like that one, remind him that he is correct, that as a mortal being, you are a going to die, whether you are released or not.

HILARIOUS! This one really put a smile to my face. Excellent. And probably pretty effective as well.

Butterfly Faerie wrote:They can force it to you if you are in a bad state, threatening to harm yourself etc.
Not all psych patients are forced to take medication.

In fact it's the majority of psych patients that are not forced to take psych medication while its the MINORITY of psych patients that are forced.

What most psych patients do not know is they can say no to medication without fear of reprisal. The problem is, MOST if not all doctors will not give you that information. Which means the patient needs to find this out on their own. And sometimes its difficult to do given the fact that its a psych unit and doctors are not being completely 100 percent up front. It can be found printed on a usually small piece of paper labeled the "Patient Bill of Rights" and its usually hangs on a wall in the unit. Sometimes its printed on a large board.

Sigm wrote:Suppose that one day you become unable to cope with your problems, and the next thing you know, your psychologist freaks out or whatever, calls the cops, and asks them to escort you to the nearest mental hospital, where you are committed against your will for an extended period of time. Once in the hospital, the doctors, in all their wisdom, decide that the best course of action is to put you on psychotropic medications until you show improvement.

What happens if you refuse the medications?

My understanding is that doctors don't physically force patients to take medications (there would be legal implications if they forced patients to take medications against their will), but in practice they play mind games with the patient until the patient is exhausted and decides to accept the medications not because he wants them but because he wants to end the harassment. In other words, the doctors wouldn't take a "no" for an answer and argue with the patient until the patient surrenders.

There is no question that doctors play mind games with patients to get them to take medication. One can argue that the doctor needs to be able to convince the patient and needs the upper hand because the patient is "not thinking clearly enough". However many see this as a disservice to the patients being treated morally and ethically equal and fair.

There are doctors willing to try out no medication to the patient but they are far and few between. Basically you are up against the psychiatric system though, because doctors are afraid of malpractice suits. If you go out and kill yourself or another and the doctor did not prescribe medication to the patient, they may be held liable in a court of law. This way the doctor can say that he prescribed the medication and can insure that his practice, or the hospital cannot be found at fault.

This is the big conundrum in my opinion that plagues psychiatry today. The obligation to treat the patient morally and ethically correct. The problem is confounded by the fact that the psychiatric system, in its current shape and form makes far to much money for far to many people to really change it.

I once had a doctor tell me how great she thought I was doing on the medication while not realizing that I was not taking any medication. She did not bother me to much after that.

According to the state regulations where I live (Ma, USA), I think they can only force medication under a court order. I also think there is an exception if the person is a chronic danger to himself or others (though I'm not sure).