The original doc at local hospital psychiatric unit had him committed to the psychiatric hospital. He cannot get out until he has a hearing before a judge and the doctor. At the time of his hearing, he will have been there involuntarily for 14 days. He’s being given meds for anxiety, psychosis and bi-polar.
However if he continues ranting about mid control, the government and screaming at and shoving the psychiatrist and the staff, I seriously doubt his psychiatrist will recommend discharge 8 days from now.
It sounds like they think he is having a manic (or possibly depressed) psychotic episode. Most people eventually cycle out of these but it can take a long, long time and they can do a lot of damage in the meantime. Medications can speed this up and he will be in a safe place while they are finding the right combo. They can keep him as long as they need to. No matter what the local laws say, psychiatrists have very little trouble convincing judges to extend the committment when it’s needed. The most helpful thing you can do is encourage him to comply with medication while he is hospitalized (to avoid court-ordered forced medication) and also after he is discharged (to avoid a repeat performance).
Bipolar patients of the manic type are especially likely to be non-compliant with meds after discharge. They like the powerful way they feel when manic. So sorry that you both have to go through this. The advice about NOT comingling your money with his is excellent advice. You will be sorry if you ignore it. As to whether you want to take steps to handle his finances, that’s up to you and your other family members. Best of luck and I hope he responds quickly to treatment.
He won’t be, or shouldn’t be, dependent on the psychiatrist currently treating him. If he chooses to contest it, he should find that he’s entitled to an independent evaluation, and the decision on holding him will lie with a judge. (This is assuming I’ve correctly understood “8 days” to be when he’s next scheduled for a judicial review).
Personally, I dont find it particularly nutty of someone to rant about mind control if they are being administered mind-altering drugs involuntarily, nor about the collusion of the government insofar as the situation is apparently legal. Likewise the inclination to shove a psychiatrist or two.
On the other hand, I understand that you’re concerned about him and I can see why you consider him to be in need of some kind of help. What’s your read on the overall situation? Do you wish for him to be out of there and to seek other treatment modalities or are you inclined to think they are doing well by him?
You have my sympathies. This must be tough but it is the right thing to do.
I’ve been watching a few of these “everything is going to hell” videos and I can see where is someone, with an impaired mental state, watched too many of them, it would drive them into the deep end.
All the above is correct, and I’d like to second the goal of talking to the hospital social worker. They’re trained in these questions, and know well enough when to direct you to better people.
In my experience they are assigned to individual patients. Initially I pooh-poohed their expertise besides questions on insurance or housing. In a good hospital they are a vital part of the medical team, and take part in group psych evaluations of each patient.
At this moment, my read on the situation is that I’m confused, a bit frightened, and am worrying that I’ve done him a terrible wrong. He was committed by the doctor at the local hospital on the Jan. 9.
He’s still there 2 weeks later. Initially I was told by his social worker that he would have a hearing on Jan.24. Today I was told the hearing was on the 18th and the judge signed off on it and the doctor can keep him in until he feels it’s ‘safe’ to release him.
My gut is telling me that the doctor will determine him ‘safe’ as soon as his insurance company stops paying. When I talk to him on the phone I can hear people yelling and screaming in the background. I’ve gone on visiting days and it’s dark, the staff are rude, it smells bad. I went to drop off some personal items for him on a non- visiting day. I rang the buzzer. The reply wasn’t “yes, how can I help you?” it was “WHAT?”. The orderly who came to the door looked like an inmate.
I’ve googled everything I can find on this place. It’s a for profit behavioral center and I’ve not seen a single good review. They ALL say “this is a nightmare place” “I felt frightened and uneasy after I was discharged” “anyplace but this place”. The reviews on the doctor are ALL without exception horrible. I take that with a grain of salt because I realize being sent to a mental health facility isn’t the Waldorf-Astoria and people may be inclined to be angry when discharged. But on the days I’ve visited my anxiety level is through the roof when I leave. Also the place is in another town, a 2 1/2 hour round trip.
He seems frightened and I i’m not sure I blame him. I feel frightened when I leave. Understand that he went to a place voluntarily about 2 years ago when he was manic. It was clinical like a hospital and probably not all that fun but I felt at ease when I visited. I felt the staff were professional and helpful. Where he’s at now is a nightmare place and i’m being told due to the court order the doctor can keep him at will.
I feel i’m in a Kafka story. I didn’t know places like this still existed. All I wanted was for him to be looked at for 2 or 3 days and now i’ve found myself involved in the court system and some scary ‘hospital’ in another town. I feel i’ve made an epic mistake.
The doc who has the commitment can probably legally decide on which facility is best suited for him. 3 guesses which it’s going to be if he is employed by one.
You may need to have a court substitute another doc who will move him to a facility that is closer to modern thinking than the one you describe.
See a lawyer - at the least, you or someone will need power of attorney to legally spend his money unless there is another person authorized to sign his checks - does the bank have another signature card for that account?
If not, as soon as he gets out, have him PUT another person on all his financial matters.
If you do want to use your own money, at least deposit it (IN CASH) to his account, and draw on that account - if someone wants the money badly enough, they will have no trouble linking the withdrawals from your account to the deposits to his and get a ruling that you were, in fact making the payments.
I had never heard of a debt transferring. I love capitalism…
Keep visiting him. It’s important. The way mental patients are treated varies considerably as a function of whether anyone on the outside gives a shit.
Can you get in touch with the doctors he worked with at the place he went 2 years ago? A judge may be considerably more likely to grant him autonomy if it becomes apparent that what he would do WITH his autonomy is transfer to a different facility to work with doctors already familiar with his case. Also, some institutions will release a patient as a courtesy to a treating physician who says “hey, you’ve got my patient!”
Depending on which state you’re in, the name differs, but in most states there’s some variation on Mental Hygiene Legal Services. He is entitled to some measure of legal representation. Admittedly not all MHLS-type attorneys truly work for the self-determination of their clients, but some do.
I’m sorry it is so Kafkaesque. I found it to be so myself.