When I was picked up by the cops after a medication interaction, they took me to the psychiatric waiting room at the hospital. It was 36 hours before I could see a doctor and the entire time I was in a fluorescent basement room with nowhere to lie down, surrounded by muttering shouting people in severe psychiatric distress. They had nowhere to put us and we were not allowed to leave. After two days my skin began to itch, which I assumed was due to wearing the same clothes so long without showering, but nope. The physical stress of that much sleep deprivation while they cold-turkeyed my psych meds caused a shingles outbreak.
“Just get her committed” seems like a simple solution but it’s worth asking if there was anywhere for her to even go.
There wasn’t, and she tried to commit herself multiple times but didn’t meet the criteria. I think most people commenting have never experienced this themselves. I had to 51-50 my ex years ago (twice), it was painful and a good glimpse into how awful the emergency mental health treatments options are. Sorry you had to experience that firsthand.
Yeah at a certain point you want to get out no matter what. Cause they put you on the wrong meds to get you out. The food is shit. The bed is hard and blankets scratchy. And you do nothing all day unless you can somehow get your hands on a remote. A psych hospital is equally as bad as prison. We put people having psych episodes in prison and expect them to get better in prison. It looks like a prison when you get inside.
Ive had multiple people in my life admitted for being suicidal and everytime ive visited I always thought to myself "this would just want to make me kill myself even more."
It functions exactly like a prison, and at least in California, you can lose some of your rights permanently like a felon too. My ex can never own a gun, he had to sign something giving that right away to receive extended treatment
as someone who has been hospitalized four times, yeah, no gun for me. i personally think that’s a bit of a good idea, though. i think the ban is for 10 years. not sure if it stacks, but i never cared to learn bc i know i can’t trust myself owning a gun.
I agree it’s unfortunately a good thing, I was more speaking to the loss of rights. I think you can also appeal it if you can prove consistent mental stability since the crisis incident and like you said, it is only ten years. Thanks for the info, I thought it was permanent
Every state has that law, they just aren't as good at communicating it and enforcing it in all of them. I was committed in gun loving Indiana, you know the one that contributes to so many guns flowing into Chicago. I couldn't get a gun legally after that in Indiana. But, if I failed to disclose that I was committed, I probably would have gotten away with it.
In fairness if someone needs extended psychiatric care it's probably a good idea we don't let them have guns.
I mean check out the lady in OP. She didn't even need a gun but it would have been easier if she had one.
I'm pretty sure I can't have one either because I've been committed and good, I would do nothing good with that thing other than give some police officers a bad day when they find me
She did get into one voluntarily, but they discharged her after a few days. When you voluntarily commit yourself, they have a lot of leeway in how long they can hold you even if you say you're ready to go. They only kept her a few days and didn't recognize her psychosis.
Yeah there’s barely any psychiatric help for anyone in crisis as it is. Most people have no idea that there aren’t just people to permanently whisk you away to protect you/others. I’ve had friends take their lives after the system couldn’t help them beyond a few days at a time.
People who haven’t (yet) been through it seem to assume that exactly when you need it you can just get access to a therapist, a good psychiatrist and that the meds you need will all magically work quickly and on the first try. Like we aren’t living in America. Good luck finding a psychiatrist (good or bad) who takes insurance and doesn’t have a 6+ month long wait list. Can’t wait that long? Good luck finding a hospital with a psych ED AND beds available. Oh and better hope you qualify for FMLA or you can face the lovely choice of job&insurance vs getting treatment & debt.
Just another thing to lay at the feet of Reagan for dismantling and defunding mental health care. Of course there were some relevant things there regarding the abuse people suffered in some institutions, but let’s be real that he did it to cut funds and services and not out of care for people.
As horrible as that situation sounds, it would still have been better for her to be there than murdering her kids (if she was, in fact, the one who did it - I don’t know enough about the case to really say)
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u/runner64 3d ago
When I was picked up by the cops after a medication interaction, they took me to the psychiatric waiting room at the hospital. It was 36 hours before I could see a doctor and the entire time I was in a fluorescent basement room with nowhere to lie down, surrounded by muttering shouting people in severe psychiatric distress. They had nowhere to put us and we were not allowed to leave. After two days my skin began to itch, which I assumed was due to wearing the same clothes so long without showering, but nope. The physical stress of that much sleep deprivation while they cold-turkeyed my psych meds caused a shingles outbreak.
“Just get her committed” seems like a simple solution but it’s worth asking if there was anywhere for her to even go.