I just lost the love of my life to an overdose 3 weeks ago. He was 36 and had a long, long history of mental illness and substance abuse. I had left him two years ago after a decade of this, but remained in his life.
The system failed him at every turn, despite having myself and his mother willing to fight for him. He had been involuntarily hospitalized for delusions and psychosis (in part drug induced). To get him there, he was tasered bu police (he was not violent). He was released at 72 hours to follow up outpatient. He had a psychiatrist who prescribed wellbutrin, but you couldn't get him to take his meds long enough for them to work, let alone get it together to show up and listen to his psych.
He was recently in jail for over 5 months on a simple possession charge (what the fuck) and was released early because of COVID. The irony here is that he would still be in jail if he were alive, and he would still be alive if he were in jail.
Recently he overdosed on a different drug. Spent two days in ICU. No one could visit, because COVID. They told his mom on the phone psych would see him. He was so scared he had disclosed to the team himself that he was bipolar, schizoaffective, and not on medications. Then he is discharged, at night, to AGAIN follow up outpatient. 5 days later, he was dead.
His mother has spoken with administrators and directors at the hospital, who hide behind the fact that he never said he was suicidal or homicidal (he was though, mostly passively suicidal).
What can we do to help change the way the mentally ill and the addicted are treated in jails and hospitals? What can we do to make sure that providers are truly stepping up for them because, as a hospital worker myself, I can tell you we are not. What can we do help make sure no one ever has to feel this way again?
BadBishGotTeeth3 karma
I just lost the love of my life to an overdose 3 weeks ago. He was 36 and had a long, long history of mental illness and substance abuse. I had left him two years ago after a decade of this, but remained in his life.
The system failed him at every turn, despite having myself and his mother willing to fight for him. He had been involuntarily hospitalized for delusions and psychosis (in part drug induced). To get him there, he was tasered bu police (he was not violent). He was released at 72 hours to follow up outpatient. He had a psychiatrist who prescribed wellbutrin, but you couldn't get him to take his meds long enough for them to work, let alone get it together to show up and listen to his psych.
He was recently in jail for over 5 months on a simple possession charge (what the fuck) and was released early because of COVID. The irony here is that he would still be in jail if he were alive, and he would still be alive if he were in jail.
Recently he overdosed on a different drug. Spent two days in ICU. No one could visit, because COVID. They told his mom on the phone psych would see him. He was so scared he had disclosed to the team himself that he was bipolar, schizoaffective, and not on medications. Then he is discharged, at night, to AGAIN follow up outpatient. 5 days later, he was dead.
His mother has spoken with administrators and directors at the hospital, who hide behind the fact that he never said he was suicidal or homicidal (he was though, mostly passively suicidal).
What can we do to help change the way the mentally ill and the addicted are treated in jails and hospitals? What can we do to make sure that providers are truly stepping up for them because, as a hospital worker myself, I can tell you we are not. What can we do help make sure no one ever has to feel this way again?
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