Arizona Tragedy - WWYD?

[Dunkopf]

I'm amazed at how many people have experiences to share.

 

[welsummerchicks]

Well, I look at it this way. About 18-22% of Americans have 'a drinking problem' of some type. Street drug use is very widespread. About 1% of the population suffers from schizophrenia (about), about 1% from bipolar disorder, and an unknown % suffer from severe personality disorders and other conditions that could be severe and could lead to harm to self and others.

With that, it is actually highly unlikely that you don't know someone who has had a relative ill enough to require involuntary treatment.

Why involuntary treatment? Because the more ill a person gets, the more likely they are to not be able to understand that they are ill, and refuse any type of treatment.

Why do they do that? Because the disease itself injures the parts of the brain that would do that type of thinking.

 

[bburn]

throwing in a 'that's right' to wellsummerchick

 

[mom'sfolly]

I took sign language classes with a group of people for several years. The core group had about 10-15 people in it. At least four of those people had a family member with severe mental illness; three with schizophrenia, one bi-polar. Our experiences were remarkable similar. It was amazing to me that so many people in that group had an afflicted family member.

 

[welsummerchicks]

You might be looking at a select group. I actually think people who take those classes often have a very, very good reason they want to help others.

 

[claud]

Here in PA when your child turns 14 they need to sign a consent form to allow a parent to get any medical info. Yes, 14!
My friend tried to place her son in a rehab but could not without his consent because he was 15. When he became violent toward her she tried to lock him out of the house and the police told her if she did she would be charged with neglect of a child.

 

[Welsummer Rancher]

"What would you do, if you suspected that a family member was becoming ill enough to harm himself or others, and he refused treatment"?

Umm....the last time I checked, this is still America. The family member has done nothing for you to have to "DO" anything about. All you have is suspicion, and you can't protect everyone from everything. Sometimes bad things happen to good people. It's called life. Also, from a legal standpoint, since the family member in question has committed no overt criminal act, your suspicions have little merit.

 

[RabbitMage]

Quote:
This is one of the truest and more horrifying things I've read today.

 

[justbugged]

The mental health system is more broken than ever in history. The lack of common sense it incredible. My own experience is that most of the treatment available is experimental in nature. The professionals are often just as nuttty as the patients. I know where the mental health system has been in history, but at the moment it seems that there is little to no real mental health system in this country. I have a nephew that has been diagnosed with a Schizoid effective disorder. Even as a housewife with limited education, I can tell that he has been labeled, and yet I mostly just see a kid that has a personality disorder. I do know that the kid can manipulate the system rather effectively. At this point I have very little respect for the mental health system in the US. Families will have to continue to manage the best they can with their mentally ill kin, and the rest of us can only pray that for the most part that these people will not harm or kill us.

 

[Mattemma]

Sometimes you can get them in a place for 72 hours if you claim they are a threat to themselves or others,but after 72 hours they are out. In many cases nothing happens until tradegy and then they debate their level of sanity in order to hold a court hearing.

The guy here in Ohio who chopped up a woman,son,neighbor,dog,and kidnapped/rapes the 13yo daughter...well people complained about his weirdness.He was convicted of arson years ago.Alas,weirdness did nothing(police wise) to stop him from chopping up people.Now he will spend his life in jail,but the cost to get him there-well I wouldn't want it to have been my family and it could have been.

http://www.dispatch.com/live/conten...llings-grief-rage-fill-courtroom.html?sid=101


Enjoy your life because it can end at the hands of another, and there is nothing you can do about it except hopefully survive the incident.

If it were my kids I would force treatment,but once they are of age they can sign themselves out of any inpatient program. I would have no option except to cut them out of my life and hope for the best.If my child were violent I guess I would have little option other than to revoke my parental rights to the state.I would not want to be forced to live with a child who abused me.Would never put up with that from dh,but the kids seem to have more protection when THEY abuse family members.