I wish I could be inspirational however, I have been trying to find my mother-in-laws, sister but, because she was homeless in Miami, apparently she’s not worthy of being entered into the FCIC/NCIC system for a report. I have proof of the date she was last seen, checked ME office, shelters, hospitals and Psych wards. She is still a person homeless or not! Anyone out there know what we can do?
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Our National Broken System!
The recent incident in Santa Barbara, Ca. brings a lot of thoughts, to share. For one, the National Mental Health System is weak and broken in this country. The laws are a blur, action when needed is far removed. This serious epidemic continues to escalate right beneath our eyes, and we do nothing. For example in this recent situation, the cops show up at this guys house before the killings. Do they search it no, better yet do they access a national gun control manifest to see if he owns guns, no. Does anybody jump in and put this kid under watch, lock him up, no. Why because with the screwed up laws in our country you can’t only if suicide attempt is being made. His father and mother knew he was off, yet did they grab anybody of authority, mental health specifically and raise the awareness for action to take place, no. Or let’s say they did, could an authority detain and examine this individual, maybe look at his videos and manifest, what about his 3 room mates that were killed? How does this stuff go on right underneath our noses, and not addressed? Again no proactive approach to these type of situations, no program in place, no funding to extend the program where it needs to be, including for our veterans who come back from the battlefield, torn and tortured mentally. Not enough, never to soon, too late! All of it.
When is this country going to wake up and realize that there is a problem facing us in every sector, a problem that needs to be aggressively addressed and not handled delicately rather abruptly and swiftly, and without hesitation. All the victims in this country, lives leveled by murder and torture, some could have been saved if we as a country took Mental Health with the seriousness that it requires. If more people got involved and actually talked to one another rather than text or emailed or social media. A convergence directed at those who need help could just save those who have died unnecessarily.
I blame the government Federal, State and Local. For not spending the money that is needed to put programs and shove awareness in each and every one of our faces. Too much emphasis on gay, racial or other political agenda. All of us are affected by this, and might just be an innocent victim someday. How about a national, and local hotline specifically for these kind of problems. Rather we have 911 lines for every single incident that happens, no specific for Mental Health problems and I am talking the whole circle of problems that are Mental Health related.
People react to stress differently, we don’t know what goes on inside another’s mind, we don’t know if one will “act out” their twisted thoughts or they are just thoughts. But in this case, the guy had been posting videos, wrote 140 pages, purchased multiple firearms and lived with 3 roommates. HELLO, enough signs for someone, or some institution to have taken a hint.
Young Adults, HIPPA, Mass Killings
It’s time to lobby for sharing of information between parents, therapists, schools, police, gun sales outlets and others involved when young adults are showing signs of distress. HIPPA laws are well-intentioned but too many young people are falling between the cracks during the time when major mental illness sets in (late teens thru mid twenties.) This, of course, is the age when families and care providers lose the right to discuss the individual’s behaviors among themselves, based on HIPPA laws (unless the patient is willing to sign releases). The current scourge of killings by young people must be addressed through a multi-systems approach.
Two of my own children have mental illnesses. Fortunately, they’ve never had violent tendencies. But when my daughter and son became adults, I suddenly lost the right to advocate for them, which caused a terrible wrench in their treatment and care. I think HIPPA mental health laws should extend to when a youth is 23 or even 25 years old.
Mental illness, Drug and Alcohol Addiction and Homelessness go hand in hand… I had to put this out there… and, I will be lobbying for changes in the fragmentation of our mental health system… it is far more than broken, it is a horrible tragedy, a train wreck…a disgrace, taking place in our society and there have got to be some answers to address this. When we have a problem with any other organ in our bodies, there happens to be far more readily available resources to access treatments…. NOT SO when it comes to the ‘mind’… there are so many stigma’s attached to having a mental illness…. WHY IS THIS!!!!! I could not count the numbers of times I have taken a battering ram to the doors of every system supposedly designed to help my son find some semblance of peace in his mind, only to wind up holding onto him ever tighter as he fell again and again through the cracks. Ultimately, I could not tie a big enough knot to the end of that rope that he could hold onto, he grew so weary …
This past couple of months my son was finally properly diagnosed and treatment began with supposedly ‘proper’ medications and an outpatient counseling plan set into action, that might have worked, had there been a good amount of time involved in intensive in-patient help, first… but he was put back out of the very walls that were ‘supposed’ to keep him safe and treat his illness until he had the right tools and coping skills to see him safely back into a world that tests even the sanest man on a daily basis. My heart broke, along with his spirit, as I watched him become more and more fragmented and sadly slipping further and further away from a reality where everyone who loved and cared for him were trying to stay on his team. His own perception of his reality sucked… and that puts it mildly…HOW LOUD MUST WE BE TO GET THE HELP THAT IS NEEDED! My son had choices, and he would have/DID ‘chose’ to be well, but what he needed most was just not there for him.
He loved life, loved his children, his family, his friends, his work, with passion, he wanted what we all want… but, choosing to be well, mentally, and having the ability to follow through to become so are 2 entirely different things in regards to mental illness. My understanding, from the accident report, is that my son ran out in front of a van that was going 50 mph. (investigation is ongoing at this time…) but, After a billion attempts to quiet his own anxiety and remove the darkness that became like a shroud over his very very dark existence, he may have beat his demons on his own… my son is now gone from me in this lifetime. WE lost a beautiful heart, a very talented man, a son, a father, an uncle, brother, cousin, nephew, grand son, friend, neighbor… I will advocate for changes in this broken system with every breath I take until there comes such a time that we treat mental illness as assertively and if need be as aggressively as we would treat cardiac, respiratory, hepatic, nervous system, renal, digestive, immune system, musculoskeletal, reproductive, endocrine…etc diseases.
BA Mother’s Determination and Love
A Mothers Determination and Love
Beth Albaneze, CTRS CPRP
I am writing to tell you a story about Alberta and her 42 year old son Eric who has been diagnosed with chronic mental illness. Alberta is an RN at the oncology unit at suburban Hospital in Bethesda Maryland. Alberta has exhausted her efforts navigating the mental health system. She contacted House Calls to help get her son’s life back. She could not accept that the day program where he had been for over seven years (after many years in a state hospital) was all there was for him. She even wrote the President of the United States.
Alberta described Eric as a popular active high school student, he was on the football team, had a girlfriend and many many friends. His life turned upside down in his senior year of high school when he became depressed which led to his first onset of psychosis. He had been distraught over his girlfriend and suffered a couple of concussions playing football and also during an altercation with aggressive strangers.
Mental Health and the Worker
No one ever lives a perfect life and we struggle with our own battles. At times it can overwhelm us and it becomes too late for those who not seek help. Lives are affected and changed forever. The start of my depression is unknown but my life is always in the look for meaning. After graduating college and trouble finding job I became involved in the mental health system. My battle with depression resurfaced as old issued reappeared with my daily clients. I am fortunate enough in my life to have support to have people who love and care for me. They give me strength and courage. With that strength and courage I was able to admit and begin to heal the wounds of depression. I continue now with therapy and continue with medication. There is no stigma in terms of mental disorder and no shame. You can carry on live a normal life. Believe in yourself seek the help you need and receive the help you need. Only thing I can ask as I see the day to day workings of the mental health system is more can be done. With growing violence, bullying, increased suicide rates, and deaths from substances more can be done. Day to day work there is success, but it is little. We are a revolving door for our clients giving them little resources and few chances to survive. Only hope is to continue to return or to continue to fail once they leave the hospital. If anything we need programs for long term hospitalizations.
Abuse and Mental Health Care
“Abuse and Mental Health Care”
Abuse hurts! It can cause not only physical but worse psychological damage to someone who already suffers from a psychiatric illness. When it comes from mental health workers at places where patients are required to be inpatient we should be all the more appauled.
My name is Benjamin Brokaw and for eleven years now I’ve suffered terribly from mental illness. Whats worse is I’ve been abused because of it by those in positions that should be helping people with these types of problems. My hope in telling you my story is that it will raise awareness of the abuse, both physical and verbal, that occurs at many psychiatric hospitals
Sandra Lamothe
MY HUSBAND AND I HAVE MENTAL HEALTH ISSUSES. MANY OF THEM. THIS ONE IS HIM AND I GETTING SERVICES. HE WAS 50/51 ABOUT TWO MONTHS AGO. HIS SOCIAL WORKER UP THERE MADE ARRANGEMENTS TO GET HELP WITH A COLLEGE IN A RURAL AREA THAT WE LIVE IN. WE HADTHE INTAKE. FOR SERVICES THEY HAVE SET UP TWO APPOINTMENTS AFTER I COMPLAINED ABOUT THEM NOT FOLLOWING UP WITH US. I EVEN TALKED TO THE DEAN OF THE CLASS. HE GOT US A NEW ONE AND SET AN APPOINTMENT FOR TODAY AT 10AM. AGAIN NO SHOW, NO CALL, NOTHING. WE NEED HELP. SPEAK UP. I AM TRIED OF BEING TREATED AS A NOBODY. THERE IS ANGER, RESENTMENT, BIPOLAR, ANXIETY, ADD, DID DISORDERS. WE BOTH HAVE BEEN TREATED MANY TIMES FOR SUICIDAL ATTEMPTS OR IDEALS. WE NO LONGER WANT THEIR HELP BUT WANT TO SPEAK OUT ON OTHER EXPERIENCES OF OTHER MENTAL HEALTH ALSO. OH AND THE DAY WE CALLED 911 FOR MY HUSBAND THE COP THAT CAME SAID CAN YOU NOT WAIT UNTIL TUESDAY TO GET SOME HELP? THIS WAS A FRIDAY, THEY TOOK HIM IN BUT DID NOT WANT TO. WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF HE WAITED UNTIL A TUESDAY LIKE THE COP SAID?
As a person with many mental and physical issues, I was “verbally discharged” from my primary of MANY years because of 2 comments about the place that were factual. I was immediately “discharged” , how can this happen when I have been at this office longer than these doctors were and their own P-NP was seeing me and left without telling his patients! Now, I cannot seem to attain any atty. because everyone is afraid of suing this person who down graded me in front of my husband and called my sister to see if she was as mad at me as I was. How can a doctor discharge me while undergoing further testing????????? Are they Gods???
My Husband’s Story
My husband and I have been married for 23 years now. We married very young. We have 2 teenaged boys.
it all started in 2004. I noticed my husband’s behaviour changing. He would disappear for days. He would also go out every night leaving me with my kids alone. I noticed he would buy expensive clothing and I would question him where he got the money from but we would always end up in an argument. I missed him. I missed the man I knew. Slowly I also noticed his behaviour changing. He would be sniffing all the time, he would get angry all the time. He slept most of the time. He quit his job which I couldn’t understand why but I know he got fired. I also noticed our money slowly depleting. ..I asked him where he was going and where was our money going? I knew he was taking drugs….crack cocaine. Since then it has been hard. He has no friends, his family lost connection with him, he doesn’t work, and the hard part is he now suffers from mental illness. I have seen doctors to please help and lets figure out the root of the problem
No one listened to me. My husband had caused so much destruction and anguish in my life. I couldn’t take all the financial abuse so I contacted the police. He has been in and out of jail. I really wish people who suffer from drug addiction and mental help be taken seriously. It seems like the health system has no time to sit and listen. Yes he is a grown man but he doesn’t act like one. He suffers from memory loss and poor balance. I feel his health is shutting down slowly. I have contacted his family to please see him. This man has done so much for the community. He has donated money to sick kids and I am talking thousands of dollars. This man has helped sponsor his mom to come to Canada and she had abandoned him. He has given her a better life so why can’t she be with him before it is too late. This man has sent money to his sisters to help them and they don’t return my phone calls. This man took in his mom and sister without paying rent so they pretty much lived off our income and now they don’t even bother to give a hand. This man has helped his friends financially and they never returned money or help. The list goes on….
Yes people make mistakes and people should be forgiven. I wished people wouldn’t overlook mental illness and drug addiction. There is always the root of the problem and up to today I don’t know why or understand why this happened…people shouldn’t tell me everything will be ok. How do they know that?
My Second Hospital Stay
And I knew I wasn’t right
So I planned on going that Friday night
And I knew I wasn’t okay
Making it the perfect place for me to stay
See, for most, a mental hospital isn’t a choice
It’s one of those things where you are left without a voice
Brought there suddenly against your will
Then before you know it, you are given a bunch of random pills
But for me, it was where I was supposed to be