Submitted by northhiker1 t3_zwlnhk in newhampshire
Just-10247-LOC t1_j1vq2wp wrote
If you are having a "crisis" and go to an ER seeking help and say the "wrong" thing you will get locked up. If there is any way in the mind of the ER doctor that you might have said the "wrong thing" you will get locked up. It's not that they want to help you, it's that they don't want any liability of having seen you and then being liable for anything you might do after they release you. So off to the mental health unit you will go. Simply for them to avoid liability. You have no legal recourse.
A police officer does not have this kind of power - if you were arrested you would get to go before a judge to be considered for bail. But an ER doctor simply needs to write "S.I." on a form and sign it and you will be on your way to being locked up. No further review, and, the people that take you may not have any interest in treating you - you will simply be held until they get around to saying that you've stayed long enough.
Sucks. I would never -ever- talk to a medical doctor about my psychiatric issues.
Just-10247-LOC t1_j1vqmlh wrote
BTW, they can choose an institution and ambulance service that is not in your health plan. You can get stuck with many thousands of dollars of expenses that are not covered and which you had no option to refuse. A twenty mile trip from ER to institution in a crappy ambulance will cost you $4,000 - not covered.
[deleted] t1_j1wyb7a wrote
That’s not true about the police at all. You get arrested on a Friday night and you don’t see the judge until Monday morning. Close enough to 72 hours…
There’s a dire shortage of mental health beds. There’s zero incentive to keep you there without cause.
That being said, at least the jail doesn’t charge you tens of thousands of dollars for holding you against your will. If you didn’t want to kill yourself before, you probably will when you see what the American “healthcare” mafia is extorting you for. You’ll long for the good old days when the mafia just broke your kneecaps instead when they wanted to rob you. Corporations are so much worse than Whitey Bulger or Al Capone ever was.
Just-10247-LOC t1_j1yq16e wrote
It is a for-profit institution that works to keep all of its beds full with whomever they manage to catch. $1,000 a day, maximize the days., minimize the services, no treatment, just bad food and a jail cell with upholstery. Literally.
[deleted] t1_j1zr0na wrote
They have absolutely no need to falsely imprison people to fill those beds… people who need inpatient care who go voluntarily are regularly being turned away due to the shortage.
Also, I think you forgot a zero… $1000 a day? Lmao this is America. I was in an ER for 2 hours after a car crash and the healthcare mafia demanded $5k.
Just-10247-LOC t1_j1zt7ga wrote
Maybe... if they weren't imprisoning people who didn't belong there, then there would be beds for those who really need them.
There was NO treatment being given. None. Nada. No counseling, no medication. Not just me but everyone. The "doctor" didn't even know why I was there and he made it clear that he didn't want to know. I got three to five minutes a day with him (when he was in, no weekends or holidays) and it was basically to prove to him that I was cooperating with the program. It was clear to all of us that to talk back to him in any manner would simply prolong our time there.
Did I mention the abusive staff? Nurses who made fun of us? Who would wake us up in the middle of the night constantly?
Insurance was billed $10,000 for nine days. I am still paying (as slowly as I can) the $2,000 deductible. That does not include the $4,000 to be made to sleep on a stretcher in the ER. And the $800 portion of the $4,000 ambulance ride.
jjbs90 t1_j1xm31s wrote
This is 1000% not true in NH. Sure, say something vaguely suicidal to an ER doc and once you’re medically cleared you are off to the psych ED. You then get a mental health clinician evaluation - and if there is any concern of imminent harm to self or others an IEA is filled out. The person get a hearing in front of a judge. Involuntary admissions are decided by the NH state court. You can find more info here: https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/about-dhhs/locations-facilities/new-hampshire-hospital/nhh-involuntary-admissions
Ok_Birthday749 t1_j1vwwf0 wrote
This depends on the state. In my state specifically qualified people are required to agree with a doc. A doc alone does not have this power where I live.
Just-10247-LOC t1_j1vywv8 wrote
They have it in Mass and in NH.
applegeek101 t1_j1y2aru wrote
That is simply not true. A psychologist performs an evaluation of the patient and determines whether or not they are a current danger to themselves or others and treatment goes from there. I have transported well above 100 psych patients and only 1 or 2 have been involuntary. Most patients in those crises want all the help they can. No one get institutionalized anymore. It’s a couple weeks of therapy at a behavioral health facility and then you get to go home
Just-10247-LOC t1_j1yoxwc wrote
Utter Bullshit. BTDT.
Went to Lahey seeking help but was NOT suicidal and said so. Was immediately prevented from leaving ER by nurse and security. Was kept for ten days in Haverhill. No treatment. I was not suicidal, nor a danger to anyone else. It was simply the convenience of the ER doctor. And, when I got to Haverhill the head nurse clearly stated that her concern was her liability. There was no treatment, just confinement. For profit.
The difference between a mental hospital and a jail is simply that the mental hospital has upholstery.
applegeek101 t1_j1yyt3s wrote
Well, if someone says they are suicidal, we have to take it seriously. An ER doctor cannot clear patients who say they are suicidal, it has to be a psychologist, and most hospitals do not have one.
If they let you go before there is an evaluation and you go into the parking lot and kill yourself, then the hospital and the providers are liable for that and they can receive criminal charges. The nurses couldn’t care less about profit. They want to make sure you are not a threat to yourself before you’re released
Just-10247-LOC t1_j1yrkbs wrote
By NH law the person can easily be held for a week while getting before a judge.
You talk as if "a couple weeks of therapy at a behavioral health facility" is no big deal? Let it happen to you and see how you like it!
applegeek101 t1_j1yz0wu wrote
My point about a couple weeks is that people aren’t held for months or years at a time like what used to happen. It’s much shorter. Obviously a couple weeks is still more time then you would like but it’s not what it used to be. I apologize for the confusion
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