On 4/27/13 6:05 PM, Eisboch wrote:


"F.O.A.D." wrote in message
m...

On 4/27/13 4:50 PM, Eisboch wrote:


"F.O.A.D." wrote in message
...


In many states, if a licensed therapist determines a person is a threat
to himself/herself or others, that person can be hospitalized for up to
three days for a full-blown psychological exam. After the exam, a judge
holds a hearing to determine if further hospitalization is necessary. It
sort of works like that, except there aren't enough beds or decent
facilities to take care of those who need the help, and judges are
reluctant for that and other reasons to require long-term
hospitalization.

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If the laws are anything like those in MA, the person would have to
either kill someone somehow or commit suicide before they would be
considered a threat to others or to themselves. Had a series of long,
frustrated conversations with a state psychologist about this last year.



That's pretty close. And once the dangerously mentally ill are in a
long-term facility, fund and staff shortages might get them released too
early. In private hospitals, you're pretty much dumped out as soon as
your insurance is used up.

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Last summer I found myself involved in trying to get help for a family
member. It came to a head one weekend last July (after several months
of trying to convince him to get help) when he was caught by the
police on a beach after several witnesses reported him driving a car in
a reckless fashion. The police had him transported to the hospital
where he went through the standard de-tox period. He was released the
following morning, went home and started drinking again. I happened to
stop by his apartment to check up on him and found him in the process of
respiratory failure .... which is typically the cause of death due to an
overdose of alcohol. Called 911, and the police and EMT's were
dispatched. Meanwhile, I followed the instructions of the 911
dispatcher to keep the person from choking.

At the recommendation of the police and fire department officials, I
requested that a physiological exam/interview be conducted at the end of
the de-tox period to establish grounds for a court petition for
involuntary commitment to a rehab facility as a back-up plan in the
event that the person continued to refuse help in the form of a private,
voluntary program. I had already made the necessary arrangements for
him to go to a private de-tox/rehab facility however, by law, he had to
agree to go voluntarily. He was still in a state of total denial ....
actually he wasn't capable of thinking period .... but the law is the
law. So, the court ordered rehab was my back-up plan.

The interview was done and the psychologist called me. She first asked
me if I was aware of the person's blood alcohol levels on the two
consecutive days of de-tox treatment. I said, "no". She informed me
that the first day it was 350 and the second day it was 450. She then
explained that anything over 350 is considered a "lethal" dose.

She then informed me that based on the interview, she could not
recommend or support a court petition for involuntary commitment. Her
opinion was that he was not an "immediate threat" to himself or to others.

I couldn't believe what she was saying. I asked her if consuming a
"lethal dose" of alcohol twice in one weekend and having to have the
police haul his car away to the pound after driving down the wrong side
of the street in a reckless fashion doesn't constitute threats to
himself or others, then what does? She told me that he would have
actually had to try to commit suicide or intentionally have to hurt
someone in order to pass the test of the law for involuntary commitment.

We had a couple more discussions following that. She agreed to schedule
an appointment to interview him again. But meanwhile, I had a bed
reserved in a private facility and needed to somehow convince him that
he had to go before it became unavailable. There was no time for a
second "interview". So, I bluffed. I basically told him he was
going, one way or another. His choice was a nice, pleasant, private
facility on Cape Cod or a court ordered facility within the confines of
one of the state prisons. I had already written a court petition and
showed it to him. I didn't let on that there was not much a chance it
would be approved without the state shrink's recommendation.

It worked. We hauled him off to the private place with him kicking and
screaming all the way, claiming he didn't need and didn't have a
"problem". Well, he did. Four days into their mandatory five day
de-tox period (before the rehab process starts) he had a withdrawal
seizure, fell on the floor and fractured his skull. I think that
helped wake him up.

He's now been clean for almost a year and is a changed person. So am I.



Your family member is very lucky to have you in his corner.

A significant number of prescription narcotics abusers ended up hooked
because the drugs were the only way they could alleviate the pain from a
work-related injury so they could get back on the job.

"F.O.A.D." wrote in message ...


A significant number of prescription narcotics abusers ended up hooked
because the drugs were the only way they could alleviate the pain from
a
work-related injury so they could get back on the job.

--------------------------------------------------

Yes, and to young people also with any kind of injury or pain. It's
too easily prescribed by too many doctors. Same with prescribing
young kids Ritalin for miss-diagnosed ADHD. I've posted before about
my daughter's experience about this with her son. They were strongly
encouraged by one of his teachers (a 22-24 year old) that he should
be taking it because *she* took it. Thankfully the family doctor
vetoed the whole thing and he is fine.

Several years ago I had some oral surgery done. The doc gave me a
prescription for oxycodin for pain. I am old school when it comes to
this stuff. The strongest pill I take is an occasional aspirin.
Later in the evening of the surgery I decided to take one of the
oxycodin pills. Hated the feeling it produced ... and I was a much
bigger guy then than I am now. The mild pain at least made me feel
alive. I flushed the rest of them down the toilet the next morning.

Which brings me around to one of my pet peeves ... health care and
it's cost in general. We finally got the final bill for my little
overnight stay at the hospital last December. Even though I stayed
overnight, it was still regarded as "out patient" treatment for a
stress test. The tab? Over $14,000 to find out that I drank too
much high test coffee. We purposely have a health insurance plan
with a high deductible to keep our monthly premiums somewhat in
control. Still pay about $1,200 a month for my wife and I. Our
portion of the $14,000 bill came to just under $4,000. It applies to
the yearly deductible (which I think is $5K) but I still can't
swallow $14,000 for a few EKG's, some X-rays and a nuclear stress
test.

My guitar playing doctor friend just gave up his general internal
medicine practice for similar reasons. He's one of the old school
docs who was in it to help people with financial rewards being
secondary. He finally got sick and tired of the administrative
policies and cost to his patients that hospitals charged and he shut
down his practice. Instead, he took the exam to become board
certified for elderly and hospice care, something he finds much more
rewarding.