Comments on: More on Isaac Zamora

By: Dee

Dee — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 06:19:09 +0000

I live in Seattle and I have depression and PTSD (that was thought to be bipolar – long and ranting commentary on public mental health). What’s seldom – if ever – mentioned in the news articles about what happened with Zamora is that not only does Washington have some truly bizarre rules that make it almost impossible to get someone involuntarily treated when it truly *is* necessary, but our “Public Mental Health system” is appalling. It’s based on Regional Support Networks that lump together seemingly random geographic areas, then farms the actual provision of care out to subcontractor agencies. Finding out who actually provides care under public mental health almost requires a detective. Then you have to have our version of Medicaid, Medicare or perhaps related programs like WA’s Basic Health to actually access the services – only to find out that ON AVERAGE they’re so backed up it’s a wait of 10 or more weeks to get an intake and up to that long again to see someone for medication. Plus many providers in our public mental health system have serious issues with ethics, professionalism, or even basic competence. I even had a case manager/counselor who had a weird license that’s available here in Washington for about $40 and having it’s either sat through a class or watched a video (sorry, I forget which). Not that anyone wants to hear from the patients that there are problems. No, they’ll wait till it’s something they hear as the result of some (potentially preventable) public tragedy or of the injury, disability or death of a patient due to the quality of care they provide and they’re hearing from an attorney representing the patient’s survivors. It’s almost impossible to get even passably OK care in this state without GOOD insurance.

By: Joe

Joe — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:50:08 +0000

“Because the mental health system finds it easier to slap a schizophrenia diagnosis on someone, medicate them, and move on.” Tragically, the mental health system despite assertions that it has adopted a recovery based approach which builds upon individual strengths and addresses individual needs, too rarely considers anything but schizophrenia. Persons who suffer from other mental illnesses often find that an antipsychotic(s) is prescribed adjunctively, that they must ape the same word persons dealing with schizophrenia are sadly required to do to refute any assertions of anosognosia, take countless “med ed” classes where the subject is schizophrenia, and find that medication compliance is treated as a virtue of the highest order even where the medications are doing nothing for the consumer.

No one is well served by the existing paradigm and the consequences can be tragic.

By: Sally

Sally — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:56:15 +0000

The misdiagnosed in the first place argument is a popular one and it’s impossible to disprove since both diagnoses are subjective. Psychosis, however, is part of the diagnostic criteria of ptsd. When people suffer trauma they are devastated and if not treated with compassion can be mentally destroyed. Compassion however can always heal. Still it seems this guy should be in prison for life. Many violent criminals have tragic pasts. Very sad story and your coverage is very good. Thanks

By: Roma

Roma — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 19:44:05 +0000

Perhaps he was misdiagnosed in the first place. From what I’ve read, untreated PTSD doesn’t lead to psychosis. Anxiety disorders are on the opposite end of the spectrum from things like schizophrenia.

Although, the fire could have been the traumatic event that triggered his psychosis.