Discovery Part 7
story resumes from here...
"Give justice to the weak and the fatherless;
maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute." (Psalm 82:3, ESV)
Upon staying in UPC, our county's intake hub for involuntary treatment, they assess our son needs further hospitalization and transport him to a behavioral health hospital. My husband and oldest son go to mental health court and are required to testify about our son's condition. They conclude that our son is incapacitated by his illness. He is given court ordered treatment. The nice lady court attorney hugs my husband before he leaves. He is heartbroken, our whole family is. But to have to testify in this way...well, there are no adequate words for that so I'll move on...
He is hospitalized for a few weeks in this particular hospital before he is transferred to another. They give him a myriad of medications, rotating them quickly with high doses to attempt stabilization. We visit our son. He is pacing the hallways, talking in repetitive phrases. Still we are allowed minimal information and input. We quickly learn that we have to ask the right questions, we have to give the input before being asked. A ridiculous game of hiding behind the HIPPA law.
Upon transfer to another hospital as he is not progressing, they begin yet another new regime of medication. He is assigned a hospital case manager. Still, no one speaks with us to get history, to discuss the medications. So I do what any mother in my situation would do...I beg. I beg until they tire of me. And in another sweet act of mercy and gracious kindness the attending psychiatrist calls my husband and I in the evening after work. He speaks with both of us candidly, he inquires about our son's history and he allows us to ask questions for the first time and answers them.
The psychiatrist is concerned at how our son is not responding so easily to the medications. He tells us he is going to recommend that our son be placed on an ACT team. Of course we have no idea what that is, but we accept. Later we learn that the act team is a case management team of 6 members that give support in ongoing care. He is also assigned to a very experienced psychiatrist.
Our son is released home to us and we begin the new normal. With 6 case managers and one psychiatrist. And court ordered treatment.
To give you a little background as to why our particular county/state has court ordered treatment and ACT teams in the first place, I would be remiss if I didn't record here that our state had a class action lawsuit brought against it: Arnold vs. Sarn in 1981. The lawsuit claimed that the state was not providing adequate services for the seriously mentally ill and they were right. And they won.
For this, this momma will be forever grateful that we live here. Though many aspects of this suit are in danger of being diminished, in my opinion, yearly through policy. But that is for another day. At least for now, we have critical services available to a degree and not without monumental challenge in obtaining.
My advocate friends in other states across the nation live without the possibility of involuntary treatment and critical supportive staffing and housing. If you want more data and information on these issues see the links on my sidebar to Treatment Advocacy Center and Mental Illness Policy.
"Give justice to the weak and the fatherless;
maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute." (Psalm 82:3, ESV)
Upon staying in UPC, our county's intake hub for involuntary treatment, they assess our son needs further hospitalization and transport him to a behavioral health hospital. My husband and oldest son go to mental health court and are required to testify about our son's condition. They conclude that our son is incapacitated by his illness. He is given court ordered treatment. The nice lady court attorney hugs my husband before he leaves. He is heartbroken, our whole family is. But to have to testify in this way...well, there are no adequate words for that so I'll move on...
He is hospitalized for a few weeks in this particular hospital before he is transferred to another. They give him a myriad of medications, rotating them quickly with high doses to attempt stabilization. We visit our son. He is pacing the hallways, talking in repetitive phrases. Still we are allowed minimal information and input. We quickly learn that we have to ask the right questions, we have to give the input before being asked. A ridiculous game of hiding behind the HIPPA law.
Upon transfer to another hospital as he is not progressing, they begin yet another new regime of medication. He is assigned a hospital case manager. Still, no one speaks with us to get history, to discuss the medications. So I do what any mother in my situation would do...I beg. I beg until they tire of me. And in another sweet act of mercy and gracious kindness the attending psychiatrist calls my husband and I in the evening after work. He speaks with both of us candidly, he inquires about our son's history and he allows us to ask questions for the first time and answers them.
The psychiatrist is concerned at how our son is not responding so easily to the medications. He tells us he is going to recommend that our son be placed on an ACT team. Of course we have no idea what that is, but we accept. Later we learn that the act team is a case management team of 6 members that give support in ongoing care. He is also assigned to a very experienced psychiatrist.
Our son is released home to us and we begin the new normal. With 6 case managers and one psychiatrist. And court ordered treatment.
To give you a little background as to why our particular county/state has court ordered treatment and ACT teams in the first place, I would be remiss if I didn't record here that our state had a class action lawsuit brought against it: Arnold vs. Sarn in 1981. The lawsuit claimed that the state was not providing adequate services for the seriously mentally ill and they were right. And they won.
For this, this momma will be forever grateful that we live here. Though many aspects of this suit are in danger of being diminished, in my opinion, yearly through policy. But that is for another day. At least for now, we have critical services available to a degree and not without monumental challenge in obtaining.
My advocate friends in other states across the nation live without the possibility of involuntary treatment and critical supportive staffing and housing. If you want more data and information on these issues see the links on my sidebar to Treatment Advocacy Center and Mental Illness Policy.
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