Civil Rights Protection for Severely Mentally Ill Needs to Change

[MaryBear]

Poll question: Civil Rights Protection for Severely Mentally Ill Needs to Change

How can a person so mentally disabled that they are in a locked psychiatric facility be deemed capable of discerning whether concerned family members can or cannot receive information regarding their care and well being?

The law needs to change to give Case Managers discretion to disclose information.

Do you agree or disagree?

Why?

[madrchsod]

1. the law changed ?

i`ve had some experience in dealing with the mentally ill and the severely retarded and not informing "qualified family member/s" is ridiculous

[KT2000]

2. OK - here's one for you:

A woman is put into a nursing home because she can no longer take care of herself decision-wise. The woman tells the nursing home she can't be around toxic cleaners and perfumes. Said nursing home drugs her into a stupor - no more complaints from that lady!
She has no relatives. She is beyond giving permission to anyone outside the nursing home to assist in her medical decisions. State appoints a guardian because she is too doped up to do anything.

Privacy laws in this case worked to doom this woman. You better believe institutions know how to use those laws too.

[MaryBear]

4. Your example reflects a totally different situation.

I do not see what it has to do with the woman's privacy. If she were in California, the guardian would look out for her interests.

My post has to do with caring family being cut off because a mentally ill person says "don't tell them anything."

[williesgirl]

3. I disagree. Some are there because they are a danger to

themselves, being so suicidal they can't remain outside. That doesn't mean they are incapable of understanding what's said to them, and assisting in their own care. Someone very close to me has been in and out of psych hospitals because she's too fragile to handle even normal daily stresses etc. Her f..king "model citizen" Dad sexually abused her as a toddler and she's never been the same. Being with her while in there has taught me alot about the mentally ill, besides knowing her issues.

Don't be too quick to judge. I know one woman who's family forced her in on trumped up accusations. They were in cahoots due to being pissed that she wouldn't fund their little escapades, buy them houses etc, even though "she has the money". That woman was as sane as you and I (and how sane is anyone these days really!) Her only mistake was having money and rotten grown kids. They were able to get her committed for a 30-day evaluation and then she was released. Of course, nothing happened to the kids who lied.

[MaryBear]

5. A person in a psych hospital

should not be forced to communicate if they do not want to do so. However, their case manager should be able to use discretion and provide status updates to concerned family members -- general information such as the medications being given, when and where the person may transfer -- the kind of thing one would want to know if the person was in the hospital for a heart ailment. I am not suggesting that detailed information disclosed in therapy be shared. I am not suggesting that the person be forced to visit with family. However, if a person is psychotic then that person in my opinion should not be able to refuse access to information to their parent, sibling, etc. In the case of your first example, the case manager could use discretion to disallow Dad's contact with either her or the staff where she is. What I want is to be able to call and ask how my loved on is doing. Because the patient has said "Don't tell her anything," they cannot even acknowledge she is there.