THOUGHTS from The HEADoc

   I haven't felt so angry and helpless in a while. I work about 8 contract hours per week at one of the largest county jails in the state. At my last clinic I saw a 23 y/o african american woman who is the mother of 2 and 2 months pregnant. Several weeks earlier she had what was probably the first psychotic break of schizophrenia with symptoms of severe paranoid delusions, hallucinations, thought disorganization, and agitation. During the process of involuntary commitment things got a bit out of hand resulting in her being charged with assault of a police officer, an act that by default she would be incompetent to proceed in a court of law. 

 Our government is in the process of making a disaster out of the mental health delivery system, including the brilliant idea of closing our state mental hospitals before a reasonable transition plan has been devised. As part of the phase out plan, patients that depend on the system for help with severe mental illnesses and chemical dependence receive cursory treatment, then are essentially sent back to the community often less than stable. The outpatient facilities are simultaneously being phased out as well. Follow up care is really just a joke.

The lady mentioned above was discharged from the state hospital a total of 3 times over a period of about 9 weeks. Upon arrival home she was promptly arrested for failure to appear in court for the assault charge. At the time of the court hearing she was still hospitalized and very likely still psychotic. She was also unknowingly pregnant. She received a pregnancy test at the jail. Her family did not bail her out, probably because they realized they were not equipped to care for a psychotic person. She has been in jail for 3 weeks and has three to go before court at which time the case will likely be dismissed. Her meds were held when her pregnancy test came back positive. She waited in a cell as did a 100 or more acutely mentally ill inmates until I could assess her.

 I have been in total disagreement with the process of changing the system, mainly because the mentally ill have ineffective and inadequate advocacy and are a population that cannot safely survive independently.

The old system has been essentially forced to get patients out of the system anyway possible. This translates to these people being eventually locked up or homeless on the streets. I have watched in an apparent denial as I see a jail with zero psychiatric staff begin to replace the role of the state hospital. I absolutely haven't been able to believe my eyes until this case finally struck me like a bolt of lightening.

During his campaigning a few days earlier, I listened to our compassionate conservative excuse for a leader actually say the words that there is growth in community health services. (actually there is a growth in demand for services) I knew I must not have heard him correctly. Everything that is happening is being done without the knowlege of the public, from the county level to the White House. I didn't want to believe this to be true.

It frightens me, but the anger I feel overshadows that. I remember Dr. Kings words that any man not willing to die for something isn't fit to live. When I see something that is morally wrong occuring in the name of having more money to send to Iraq and give the rich yet another tax cut, it just makes my blood boil. When I think of John Ashcroft legislating himself the right to read this e mail I feel tense all over. When I see half of my paycheck going to taxes, and still be audited and harrassed by the IRS, while Ken Lay (our leader's primary financial supporter) has pocketed multimillions for which he won't do any significant time, I wonder why he isn't the one sitting in that stinking jail cell instead of that helpless young woman.

I know the jail situation is a moral injustice and a disgrace to modern society mainly because of psychiatrists being left out of the loop for reforming mental healthcare. Would it make sense for Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s racing team to replace his engineand instruments withoutconsulting with him at some point? I think we were left out because most of us cannot be bought off and would tell them that what they are doing is sinfully wrong. We would rally for public support and work to have officials elected who understand this issue on a level other than saving money for the Republicans and their agenda to tranfer the savings to the accounts of the top 1% of the population.

I never would have believed the things that are happening in our country. Liberal  and pseudo-conservative (the naive that don't understand they are actually liberal) thinking people are kept from most of the truth and exist in a perpetual state of ignorance. Many conservatives think they know the truth but are the biggest fools of all, thinking they are part of something important but really just being used only to receive a small tax break. If democratic voters do make it to the polls there is no longer a guarantee their vote will even be counted.

People don't appreciate the seriousness of this issue, but such an issue will determine the futures of our descedents years from now. Some lower and lower middle income citizens even foolishly vote republican. If we aren't careful, the election will be stolen again this November. The popular vote will no doubt go  to Kerry, but as we saw in 2000 that doesn't mean a thing. In America, enough money can buy anything. 

The current party is already working diligently to paint an illusion for the country until the vote is over. If they do win again, it will be too late when people really know the real truth about the most vital issues. Once care for the mentally ill is finally eliminated and the mentally ill are stripped further of their constitutional rights, who will be the next group targeted? It won't stop here. If I had one wish right now, it would be that the general public knew some of the things that have been exposed to me. I will continue to speak out in whatever way I can until the liars are removed from power or until they kill me or frame me to go to prison.

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