Comments on: Locked Away for Years, Nobody Cares http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2008/12/27/locked-away-for-years-nobody-cares/ Dr. John Grohol's daily update on all things in psychology and mental health. Since 1999. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 22:26:24 +0000 hourly 1 By: Points of Interest, #40 « Mind, Soul, and Body http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2008/12/27/locked-away-for-years-nobody-cares/comment-page-1/#comment-604281 Points of Interest, #40 « Mind, Soul, and Body Mon, 29 Dec 2008 19:58:44 +0000 http://psychcentral.com/blog/?p=2484#comment-604281 [...] At World of Psychology, John M. Grohol, Psy D wonders if our mental health care system has really advanced in the area of patients rights and dignity as much as we like to think it has, as he reports the present day stories of people locked away simply because it is cheaper and easier than caring for those we cannot cure.   [...] [...] At World of Psychology, John M. Grohol, Psy D wonders if our mental health care system has really advanced in the area of patients rights and dignity as much as we like to think it has, as he reports the present day stories of people locked away simply because it is cheaper and easier than caring for those we cannot cure.   [...]

]]> By: Tamra http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2008/12/27/locked-away-for-years-nobody-cares/comment-page-1/#comment-603889 Tamra Sun, 28 Dec 2008 06:12:56 +0000 http://psychcentral.com/blog/?p=2484#comment-603889 Dano, I'm so sorry to hear about your family and your struggle with finding treatment. That's terribly saddening. Family should be more mature and supportive than that. Who needs family if they cannot support you no matter what you're going through? Whoever supports you and shows you that they love you no matter what are worth your time and I hope you find that person. If not, life goes on right? You are right about the mentally ill being misunderstood. Many are and that's why society continues to be blind to mental illness and its great need. A lot of treatments are used, but some are used unsuccessfully. Unfortunately, doctors rely on the next best thing when one thing doesn't work and this could continue for years. It's discouraging to have an illness in the first place, to have a society that doesn't care/understand, and treatments that may or may not work. But don't lose hope :) I have a good friend in your shoes. It is very upsetting and I hope to continue to be an advocate for people like you. Maltreatment of the mentally needy is wrong and it needs to change. Best regards www.activeminds.org Dano, I’m so sorry to hear about your family and your struggle with finding treatment. That’s terribly saddening. Family should be more mature and supportive than that. Who needs family if they cannot support you no matter what you’re going through? Whoever supports you and shows you that they love you no matter what are worth your time and I hope you find that person. If not, life goes on right?

You are right about the mentally ill being misunderstood. Many are and that’s why society continues to be blind to mental illness and its great need. A lot of treatments are used, but some are used unsuccessfully. Unfortunately, doctors rely on the next best thing when one thing doesn’t work and this could continue for years. It’s discouraging to have an illness in the first place, to have a society that doesn’t care/understand, and treatments that may or may not work. But don’t lose hope :)

I have a good friend in your shoes. It is very upsetting and I hope to continue to be an advocate for people like you. Maltreatment of the mentally needy is wrong and it needs to change.

Best regards

http://www.activeminds.org

]]> By: Dano MacNamarrah http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2008/12/27/locked-away-for-years-nobody-cares/comment-page-1/#comment-603879 Dano MacNamarrah Sun, 28 Dec 2008 04:35:09 +0000 http://psychcentral.com/blog/?p=2484#comment-603879 In the past decade, every year has found me spending at least two months in a psychiatric ward, until 2007. I have found that even though I have concerned friends and one who has my medical Power of Attorney, this doesn't count in mental illness. I have undergone over twenty ECTs, agreed to when I was too sick to care, been five-pointed, prescribed Thorazine for suicidal depression and released from a three month stay three days after I opened up my wrists with a scalpel another patient gave me. Though, they did send me to the local ER to have me sewn up. Ray Sanford is undergoing ECT, despite his clear and vocal objections. ECT took away three years of my memory in just over twenty shocks. I don't know of any psych med that would be so swiftly damaging. The terrible treatments that you write of are shocking and yet I am not surprised. Our place as patients is "below the salt" in terms of value and position. We who are mentally diagnosed are feared, misunderstood, shunned and stigmatized. Our illness is seen as a character flaw, our suffering as malingering, our behavior as something to be contained, however that might be. Criminal charges of kidnapping, wrongful imprisonment and restraint should be brought on anyone using such means beyond a crisis intervention mode. As to Tamra's comment, my family has shut me out, as they cannot handle my mental diagnoses. I am over twenty-one and single. A medical Power of Attorney, as I said before, only applies to any "physical" illness. Now that's mental! In the past decade, every year has found me spending at least two months in a psychiatric ward, until 2007. I have found that even though I have concerned friends and one who has my medical Power of Attorney, this doesn’t count in mental illness.

I have undergone over twenty ECTs, agreed to when I was too sick to care, been five-pointed, prescribed Thorazine for suicidal depression and released from a three month stay three days after I opened up my wrists with a scalpel another patient gave me. Though, they did send me to the local ER to have me sewn up.

Ray Sanford is undergoing ECT, despite his clear and vocal objections. ECT took away three years of my memory in just over twenty shocks. I don’t know of any psych med that would be so swiftly damaging.

The terrible treatments that you write of are shocking and yet I am not surprised. Our place as patients is “below the salt” in terms of value and position. We who are mentally diagnosed are feared, misunderstood, shunned and stigmatized. Our illness is seen as a character flaw, our suffering as malingering, our behavior as something to be contained, however that might be.

Criminal charges of kidnapping, wrongful imprisonment and restraint should be brought on anyone using such means beyond a crisis intervention mode.

As to Tamra’s comment, my family has shut me out, as they cannot handle my mental diagnoses. I am over twenty-one and single. A medical Power of Attorney, as I said before, only applies to any “physical” illness. Now that’s mental!

]]> By: Tamra http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2008/12/27/locked-away-for-years-nobody-cares/comment-page-1/#comment-603856 Tamra Sat, 27 Dec 2008 23:35:29 +0000 http://psychcentral.com/blog/?p=2484#comment-603856 Even though I study these things and these things are my career, I can never quite understand (besides explaining it away by assuming money has something to do with it) why this type of treatment continues. Where are the programs that do monthly/yearly evaluations on these hospitals? Aren't they suppose to assure families that their loved ones' rights will be protected? Why aren't these evaluators aware of such patients being locked up? Why aren't families suing? I don't think there is enough supervision over these mental health facilities. Therefore, patients are treated poorly because the staff has no one over them to correct them or lay down the rules. Sadly and very unsettling is the reality that some pet shops are taken better care of than mental health facilities. Some pets are even treated better when hospitalized. This has to change. Even though I study these things and these things are my career, I can never quite understand (besides explaining it away by assuming money has something to do with it) why this type of treatment continues. Where are the programs that do monthly/yearly evaluations on these hospitals? Aren’t they suppose to assure families that their loved ones’ rights will be protected? Why aren’t these evaluators aware of such patients being locked up? Why aren’t families suing?

I don’t think there is enough supervision over these mental health facilities. Therefore, patients are treated poorly because the staff has no one over them to correct them or lay down the rules.

Sadly and very unsettling is the reality that some pet shops are taken better care of than mental health facilities. Some pets are even treated better when hospitalized.

This has to change.

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