article thumbnail

Mood Tracking: My System for Reducing Psychiatric Hospitalizations

Mad in America

D uring my first psychiatric hospitalization in 1998, I was strapped down, placed in 4-point restraints, and administered a painful catheter—apparently because I had peed on the floor during the course of my psychotic episode. Captivity By my count (with an assist from my mother) I’ve had 12 psychiatric hospitalizations in my life.

article thumbnail

Psychiatric Patients Restrained at Sky-High Rates at This L.A. Hospital

Mad in America

From the Los Angeles Times : “When he came home from the hospital, Marcelus Laidler began to wet the bed. ‘That hospital is like one bad dream after another.’ ’ Hospitals are forbidden under federal law from restraining psychiatric patients except to prevent them from harming themselves or others. .

Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

Dramatic Rise in Police Interventions on 988 Callers

Mad in America

However, none of this is stemming the stream of 988 callers who receive unasked for, unwanted, or unexpected visits from police and emergency medical services (EMS)—and then get taken, with or without consent, to hospitals or crisis centers for mental health evaluations. Where’s the accountability?” A therapist recommended 988.

article thumbnail

Prescription Drugs Are the Leading Cause of Death

Mad in America

3,4 This estimate was derived from a 1998 meta-analysis of 39 US studies where monitors recorded all adverse drug reactions that occurred while the patients were in hospital, or which were the reason for hospital admission. If we apply this estimate to USA, we get 315,000 annual drug deaths in hospitals. times as many.

article thumbnail

Giving Caregivers a Platform: Meagan, Mother of Matt

Mad in America

For a period of four years, from 2014 through 2018 during his decline and overwhelm, Matt was prescribed five different antidepressants layered on top of one another without tapering, which ignited a cycle of adverse reactions. We learned that hospital detox programs do not safely taper benzos, but Matt was desperate and decided to apply.

article thumbnail

Interpersonal Caring as an Act of Resistance Among Socially Marginalized

Mad in America

The residents, most of whom were either born in Gujarat, or had somehow ended up in Gujarat, had been referred to this Center by hospitals, various non-governmental organizations, or simply arrived here by word-of-mouth. For medical emergencies, the residents are taken to a small hospital in the neighboring town of Anjar. Harding, R.

article thumbnail

Giving Caregivers a Platform: Sherita, Mother of Tony

Mad in America

Tony went off prescription drugs in September 2021, when he was released from the hospital with none, though he was on them while being held there. Tony, son of Sherita I watched my son, who was struggling from all of the previous medications he was given prior to May 2018, but he was still able to function.