So horrifying, it’s hard to imagine

I don’t need to recast this story in my own words. I think the following paragraph from NewJersey.com will do:

Thirteen mentally ill patients involuntarily committed to Bergen Regional Medical Center languished in the hospital’s psychiatric unit for up to a decade, their cases forgotten and never revisited, according to a whistle-blower lawsuit going to trial Wednesday.

Read the rest, but best do so on an empty stomach.

Bergen Regional deaf to patients’ plight, suit says

liz | 3:20 PM | Uncategorized

Newest video/Cute Fix: Copin’ Wit Change

liz | 8:02 AM | Uncategorized

Letter from a woman with a brother who’s involuntarily committed

Another example of why this debate is so complicated:

My brother is currently being treated involuntarily. I want my brother to be able to choose what is best for himself, but currently he is unable to do so. My brother is 42 and has had a long history of psychiatric problems and incarcerations. His newest free flowing idea is to entice a police officer into shooting him. I would be an irresponsible sibling if I didn’t fight to keep my brother hospitalized. Last week he followed students at a local college stating on the telephone that he wanted to make Headlines! The nature of the headline he spoke of would make anyone sick! The week before he was going to jump off the Bridge, and I cant tell you how many times he threatened to kill my mother who has been the one supporting him all his life. There comes a time when families have the right to choose what is best for a family member. We know him best! It took a long time for my mother to even push for short term hospitalization. If left unchecked, my brother will hurt an unsuspecting individual and as of lately has become increasingly more graphic with his thoughts and ideas. We know what he is capable of and therefore, together as a family are fighting to keep him in treatment. Most days he is happy to be there and can even carry on a conversation appearing “normal” but on the days he wants out, those are the times that I am thankful he is not allowed to make that decision. Those are the days I make sure my mom is far away from him because I know ultimately one day he will try to kill her again. The brother I knew died many years ago with a tramatic head injury during a car accident at 17. What remains is hope that he may one day return. For now, caging the animal is the most humane regardless of what anyone says,,,,,if you could only have lived through what we as a family have, you might be able to see things from our point of view.

liz | 4:05 PM | Uncategorized

Party time

I can’t take the credit for the contents of the below, but the person who wrote it prefers to remain anonymous. Let’s just say he’s had experience with the world of mental health (and everything that connotes) with a few decades now, and knows whereof he speaks. Unfortunately. As soon as I read this, I was hit with stomach-churning memories. The shock of recognition, and all that. The question is: What can we do about it?

We’re having a party. It’s going to be a good time …

It’s party time in the mental health system. Just around the corner are Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years and our community, yes we are considered a community, will be pulling out all the stops. There will lots of community integration within our community, socialization, network building and skills development. We are going to do the wild thang so hold on tight and welcome to a “Mentally Ill Party.”

Directions for one Mentally Ill Party:

Supplies:
One radio
Soda (Store brand is fine. The cumbersome three liter bottles are preferred.)
Chips (Enormous bags.)
Cookies (Again, store brand.)
Party hats are optional.
Paper plates, plastic cups, paper napkins.

Furniture and furnishing: Folding chairs, lots of them, to be placed around the periphery.

Entertainment: Bingo set. The mentally ill really love bingo. It is the game of choice at programs and hospitals.

Venue (aka Therapeutic milieu) : Mentally ill parties are best held in an environment where the general public would not think of coming. Psychiatric units are great but any old day program, sheltered workshop, or drop-in center will do.

Scheduling: Please remember to schedule your mentally ill party well in advance of the actual holiday. The best times are between one and four in the afternoon.

Prohibited speech: Sex, politics and religion though scatological humor and anything about “Recovery and Wellness” is strongly encouraged.

Getting your party going: You really want everyone to be engaged. Please walk each attendee to the snack table and introduce him or her to the snacks. Some programs have a staff member dole out the chips and cookies to prevent the use of hands, minimize offending crumbs, and insure that none of the revelers take an appropriate portion.

Photo Op: If you represent a mental health provider agency, you are going to need a photo op for you organization’s newsletter. The following is suggested. Nag one of the consumers sitting on a folding chair to rise without his or her chips and soda. Encourage him or her to do the funky chicken or the frug. Take an action shot. Please note: Any other unprompted gyrations or gesticulations should be considered as 1) a side effect of medication which is permitted, 2) a precursor to violence, 3) Mania, and 4) Acting Out. They should be addressed immediately.

Quick Guide to Mentally Ill Parties: Imagine the worst kids birthday party you ever attended before the age of six. Dump the cake, the table, and the decorations. Keep the pin the tail on the donkey and add bingo.

liz | 8:47 AM | Uncategorized

Because ignoring Arkansas just isn’t fair

When’s the last time I wrote about Arkansas? Maybe never. It’s one of those states that’s simply not on my radar. Once my car broke down there. And I did consider going to school there for an MFA in Translation — which I’m guessing would be just as useful as my Bachelor’s in Creative Writing.

But by golly, it’s Mental Health Awareness Week in Arkansas, and a candlelight vigil in Fayettville highlighted (heh) the need for more resources. From the Northwest Arkansas Times:

[The Mental Health Association's John] King said a big need for mental health patients in Northwest Arkansas is a nonprofit inpatient care center. He said he hopes that spreading awareness in the community might address that need better.

“ Some of the people that came (to the vigil ) will go home and ask what they can do, ” he said.

Vigil marks start of Mental Health Awareness Week

liz | 3:22 PM | Uncategorized

My sweet Lamictal

Looks like Glaxo is having some trouble getting a patent for its extended release version of Lamictal, an anti-seizure med that I use (off-label?) as a mood stabilizer. From Reuters (belatedly):

NEW YORK, Sept 21 (Reuters) – GlaxoSmithKline Plc (GSK.L: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Friday that U.S. health regulators stopped short of approving a new long-acting version of its widely used epilepsy drug, Lamictal, until certain concerns are addressed.

Europe’s largest drugmaker, which received a so-called approvable letter regrading its Lamictal XR, said it is committed to working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to address any questions the agency has and to evaluate the best way forward to outright approval.

The company did not specify what FDA questions or concerns must be addressed in order to gain approval.

Lamictal XR is a once daily extended-release formulation of the older medicine, which is taken twice daily by most epilepsy patients. The older version, which had nearly $2 billion in sales last year, is already facing competition from cheap generic versions in Europe and generic competition in the United States could come as soon as next year. (Reporting by Bill Berkrot)

I know Lamictal can have dangerous side effects upon initial treatment; maybe those are intensified with the long-acting version. I’ve been taking it for years — knock wood — with excellent results.

[Image from The Chem Blog]

liz | 8:25 AM | Uncategorized

We have so much in common. Except that stuff about the pope.

Sinead O’Connor, whose cover of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” always makes me weak, has revealed she has bipolar disorder. From the AP:

She now takes medications that serve as a mood stabilizer and antidepressant, as well as help her sleep.

The drugs have helped her become more balanced, she said, but “it’s a work in progress. I’m not going to sit here and claim that I’m kinda perfect or anything. Anything is an improvement when you’ve been in desolation … to be out of that place is brilliant. It doesn’t mean you don’t have lumps and bumps.”

Sing it, sister. In my case, those are some serious lumps and bumps, but what’s amazing about it is that I can actually deal with them; I’ve learned how. The problem is believing there’s a magic bullet, that one day you won’t be a work in progress. Not so. But, Sinead says, she no longer thinks of suicide. “I’m certainly out of despair, which is great.”

O’Connor Struggled With Suicide Thoughts

liz | 4:57 PM | Uncategorized

Top o’ the mornin’ to ya

I haven’t been able to blog very much due to it being my first week on the new job. I do apologize for that. Here are a few things to remember:

Philip Dawdy is raising funds, so show your support!
Stephany is struggling with her daughter, so show your support!
I’m having migraines every day on my new job, so show your … show me some cyanide!

Heh. Just joking about that last one. Sort of.

I promise to get another post out today. It’s just been weird because I don’t have regular access to a computer.

liz | 7:38 AM | Uncategorized

Two things, not just one

The Wall Street Journal reports on the results of a study about depression treatment. Medication? Therapy? The study says both are most effective than either approach alone, at least in terms of adolescents.

A combination of medication and therapy helps depressed adolescents heal faster than medication or therapy alone, and with fewer incidents of the suicidal tendencies associated with unalloyed antidepressant use, according to findings in the largest and longest government-funded study of depressed teenagers.

This study, published yesterday in the Archives of General Psychiatry, provides more evidence that a combination of the antidepressant Prozac and therapy can help overcome both problems.

The study’s authors say the findings offer hope that teenagers can attain long-term recovery from the illness, which is marked by chronic relapses among patients of all ages. They hope that by treating adolescents for longer than three to four months — the typical duration of such studies — teens will reach their “maximal medical benefit” from treatment and be less likely to become depressed again in the future, said John March, chief of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Duke University School of Medicine and one of the study’s authors.

Dual Approach Aids Depression Treatment

liz | 3:02 PM | Uncategorized

Racing heartbeat races on…

Here’s an interesting story, which just so happens to be a panic sufferer’s worst nightmare. I hope the media reports this carefully.

Panic Attacks May Increase Heart Risk

liz | 8:02 AM | Uncategorized