Q. Help for a friend I have a good friend, Susan, who is in her late 40’s and suffering from some form of mental illness. She has been in and out of mental hospitals for a number of years. I don’t know her condition well enough to comment other than that at times she seems very clear and rational and at other times “delusional”. I think she has a problem, but a problem that can be treated with the right professional help. Unfortunately, she is unemployed and has no one, other than her parents, to rely upon. Her parents has tried unsuccessfully to put her in a mental hospital on several occasions, but Susan managed to never quite finish her treatment. Susan hates the idea of being institutionalized, because she is treated less than a human being and also because she is given inordinate amount of drugs that make her sick. She feels she has no choices and no one is looking after her interests. Her parents have given up on her at this point and prefer not to deal with her anymore. I just want to know what are the medical treatments available to Susan, other than her being institutionalized in these hospitals that seem to treat her like a failed statistics. There has to be some other more effective treatment that provides professional therapy while giving her the opportunity to connect with the community in which she lives, so that she does not feel like an outcast without hope. I feel there are many cases like hers because of inadequate funding or simply because people have given up. The mentally ill have rights like everyone else, and I feel that they are part of the forgotten minority.
A. I agree with many of your statements. The best thing for your friend Susan is for you to remain her friend and be her “patient advocate”. You obviously are an intelligent person who wrote an intelligent and compassionate letter. Though Susan may be irrational at times or even delusional, you will not be. You can fight for her, make phone calls for her, and be a loud voice for her. I would encourage you to do so. Good luck.
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Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 18 Apr 2005
