A few weeks ago Virginia Senator Creigh Deeds’ son Austin
was allegedly not admitted to a psychiatric facility because of lack of
beds. The next day he stabbed his father
and committed suicide. Senator Deeds is
now blaming the Community Services Board and basically the lack of help
available to those in need.
When I first heard this story, I was not exactly
shocked. I don’t know if it is the
desensitization from constantly hearing incidents like this on every type of
media, but I just wasn't shocked. What I
was shocked about, however, is the fact that someone who I would think of as
pretty well off, could not get the help his son needed. Granted, his son was over 18 and the
emergency custody order expired from what I understand, but it just seems that
it should have been easier for him to get help.
And if it is difficult for him to get help, what about all of the people
who do not have the financial means to try to get help? Don’t get me wrong, I am not in any way
saying that he should have been able to get help simply because of who his
father is. But if that doesn't even help
then it seems completely unfair to those who do not have parents who can help
them.
Something is seriously lacking in our mental health
system. I read another story about a
lady in Virginia whose daughter has bipolar disorder. She is worried about when the time comes and
her daughter is 14, and they will then need an emergency order to have her
daughter hospitalized if needed. I can’t
imagine the difficult times and decisions these families must face on a daily
basis.
I’m not sure what the answers to these problems are,
but something is seriously lacking in our mental health system. Perhaps there is way more behind the Senator
Deeds story, but either way, his son needed help and did not receive it in
time. So many people are in that same
position. According to the NAMI website,
about 90% of those who die by suicide have a diagnosable mental health
disorder.
Stigma and all other barriers aside, what do you
think could be changed to help make services more available?
I agree, it is a problem. I would argue that it is not isolated to only the mental health industry -- rather it is a proble of the larger medical system. I think that a combination of protocol for handling health insurance claims and lawsuits has led to a system that values the process more than actually helping people. Whether you are looking for psych evaluation or medical exam, you will get the runaround before you actually get into an office. Sadly, with medical problems, many people are just opting to visit the emergency room for non-emergency issues since, by law, someone is required to see them immediately. Not sure how it is with mentail health, but I assume it is similar.
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