[rufiki]

Hi, I have to vent about my girlfriend's care. She was in a sent to a psych ward 10 days ago from another hospital for Delusions. She began having them while being treated for physical symptoms and was then transferred to hospital with a psychiatric ward. I visited every night and was told her treatment would take weeks every time, just last night in fact. Today I get a phone call saying they are going to release her today. I was out of town, but was returning tonight to see her so I made arraingments to pick her up at 5:00pm. Then the hospital called back and said "If you're not here in an hour, we're giving her a bus pass and putting her on the sidewalk!" What? We're in the middle of a heatwave, it's 106 degrees today, my girlfriend can barely walk to the bathroom from weakness, she'd been sick, remember? And they threatened to set her on the sidewalk! I wish I'd recorded it. Apparently, her 14 day hold expired and when they asked her if she was suicidal, she said no. And her insurance wouldn't pay if she wasn't suicidal. But threatening to abandon a helpless, delusional, sick woman on the street in 106 degree weather is OK. I'm outraged! And when I asked for care instructions, I was given 2 prescriptions, some papers listing a suicide hotline and 2 homeless shelters, and some unsigned forms saying they had explained everything to her. They apparently could care less what happens to her.

But, she's home now, aside from 1 incident when she threw up in my car because she thought the 4 security guards who held her in the wheelchair while they wheeled her out were throwing her in the trash, she's been calm. Sleeping mostly. But it's only been 4 hours.

Sorry for the rant. But does this happen regularly? Is it normal?

[Nammu]

Unfortunately insurance has black or white thinking about psych needs, you must admit to being suicidal or you're not covered they don't think of delusional people being unsafe and hospitals are business first before being health care centers. So it's not unusual. I'm sorry you are going though this, it's a harsh introduction to USA psychology care.

[Fuzzybear]

Absolutely appalling. I'm so sorry

[Shazerac]

You don't blame you for being angry. The way mental hospital care works is criminal. They put my sister out on the sidewalk in the middle of the night in a bad neighborhood and didn't even give her a quarter to make a phone call

[Sunflower123]

The hospital's behavior is outrageous. It seems to me they would be considered liable if they booted out a clearly ill woman in such an unscrupulous manner and something happened to her so they would be more careful. It's appalling. Did they set any therapist or psychiatrist appointments for her for follow up? They are supposed to get her set up with follow up care and that doesn't mean a crisis line phone number and a list of homeless shelters.

If they haven't set any appointments for her for follow up care you may need to do that for her. She needs both a tdoc (which I believe you said she had) and a pdoc appointment. Good luck and keep posting so we can support you if you think it's helpful.

[rufiki]

No, they didn't set anything up. I asked about aftercare and they showed me a page of "resources", they said no appointment was neccessary. My girlfriend was shaking badly, she seriously thought they were throwing her in the trash, maybe they mentioned setting her on the curb to her. She asked who was going to pick her up and they just said, You'll see. Anyway, I took the papers and got her home as quick as I could. She was throwing up from anxiety as I made my U-turn in front of the hospital! When I got her home she wanted to lie down. Her daughter was hiding out at the gym, she was afraid to come home for a couple hours. I digress, my girlfriend fell asleep and I read the packet of "Care education". That's when I saw the "resources" were homeless shelters.

But she had a good night. Didn't eat though, and she's very weak from starvation. Her hands and stomach are numb she says. Also from lack of food. I have to keep her from sliding back into her "I'm queasy I can't eat " routine that started 4 months ago and I think triggered this whole thing. The real work starts today. I'll let her sleep in, it's still early here, But she's going to eat something for breakfast and she's going to push her feet against my hands, sort of work those weak muscles. And she's going to sit in the living room for a while and talk or watch TV or something. She said this morning she's still afraid of her daughter, though she knows she didn't poison her. On her daughter's side, she now locks herself in her room, so her mom can't attack her. Lots of work to do here.

Appalling and all too frequent. In my own hospital with 32-56 hour waits for a bed they tend to discharge you the soonest they feel you are stable. Note stable doesn't mean recovered, it simply means that the patient no longer requires intervention. They DO however here make up a discharge plan - which your girlfriend's hospital ought to have provided. These can be as simple as an agreement to call a crisis line for help, attend a psychiatric appointment, make check-ins, and yes group homes and/or shelters. It is terrible that this is the level of care we have come to think of as acceptable.

[Nammu]

Lack of nutrition can have very detrimental effects on the brain. Perhaps you could try ensure or other types of nutritional supplements. They are drinkable and often easier to tolerate than a full meal.

[Agent Misty]

Sounds about like what I would expect, honestly. Not sure where your from (obviously a place where you expect a lot more than what you got for her care) but homeless mentally ill or addicted run the streets where I live (not a good neighborhood). Can't go two blocks without seeing the poor souls begging or talking to themselves, or being atopped by security officers or police to be told to get lost.

Imagine what it's like for people who don't have family, loved ones, a home... They don't even get what she got. And considering that, it could've been way, way worse. She is so lucky to have a great guy that personally cares for her and loves her.

That's the typical us mental health care for ya. The new standards for mental health care, and long term help for those who aren't fit to go home yet... Are abysmal. for the mentally unstable... Mental health facilities are mostly made up of prisons, these days.

As for long term care, they are more interested in making the family of the ill to figure it out even though they are getting paid to treat the person.... Which takes me back to the lucky ones who even have family to care and figure it out for them

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_a...tally_ill.html

[reb569]

Wow. In the hospital my daughter was in they won't release a patient from a Psych unit without them having a confirmed place to go to live, whether it be home, group home, residential treatment center or something. They also won't release you without having an appointment with either a therapist or pdoc within 7 days of discharge.

[mugwort2]

Reb569 that hospital you mentioned sounds like its a very caring institution. Seems too that many psych hospitals and mental hospitals are rather horrible in how they treat discharged patients. I mean throwing them in the street. I personally knew a woman in a partial was in who said she was discharged in the middle of the night It was freezing that evening and there she was with no coat on. I wonder if Single Payer would eliminate these horrible discharge conditions. Rufiki I sure don't blame you for being furious I would be too.

[reb569]

Originally Posted by mugwort2

Reb569 that hospital you mentioned sounds like its a very caring institution. Seems too that many psych hospitals and mental hospitals are rather horrible in how they treat discharged patients. I mean throwing them in the street. I personally knew a woman in a partial was in who said she was discharged in the middle of the night It was freezing that evening and there she was with no coat on. I wonder if Single Payer would eliminate these horrible discharge conditions. Rufiki I sure don't blame you for being furious I would be too.

For the most part yes, but I had some issues with them also related to her caseworkers more than anything, but the direct care staff were really good. I don't know what I would have done if they had done that to her.

[eskielover]

Different hospitals in Calif are all different....but it is common to discharge the patient when the pdoc is pushed tobgetbthem out whether insurance issues or the need for a bed for someone else coming in. I was in more psych hospitals around the So. Calif area than I can even remember from UCLA to private ones. I found private psych hospitals to be better (though not great either).

So sorry you & your GF have had this experience. I can understand her daughters way of responding also. She needs to feel safe where she lives & maybe the way she is handling it at this time is best for all????

[Maven]

Wow, I've heard how bad some hospitals are, but I didn't think they'd just throw someone out. I'm appalled. I'm sorry that happened.