I just found out an old friend of mine is being held at Navos Behavioral Health.
They are trying to declare them permanently gravely disabled which allows them to be involuntarily committed. The hearing is Tuesday.
Hoping that a lawyer can help. It’s possible a phone call from the right person will end this.
All the (second-hand) context I have currently is that they had a manic episode and crashed their car, realized they were having an episode, checked themselves into Harborview, got into some sort of a scuff with an orderly, who had them transferred to Navos to be committed.
Anyone with practical experience in this area? Anyone who can help? I don’t know what to do, but I do know this person isn’t a threat to anyone, and they certainly don’t deserve being involuntarily committed.
My contact info (Signal, Matrix, email) is on my profile. Thank you ❤️🩹
#MutualAid #PleaseHelp #MentalHealth #Law
@alice@lgbtqia.space if they were in there right mind and able to make this decision for themselves, would they say that a manic version of themselves in this situation should not be institutionalized?
Honestly, if I get there, do it. But I’m not them.
Hopefully the right outcome occurs, whatever that may be. It’s a tough situation.
I’m sorry. Been there.
They went in voluntarily.
Do they not want people to seek help?
They are being punished for being responsible?I’m wondering if there’s a new rule from RFKjr to get as many people committed as possible for the farms or something.
@hannu_ikonen@zeroes.ca can you weigh in?
deleted by creator
@alice@lgbtqia.space Do they have family, community of any kind, maybe church community? They might have a support network, that though stressed and strained is still trying to keep their person safe.
These people might be able to point to resources to help with. And they might not know about this current episode.
@alice@lgbtqia.space Definitely the lawyer. Also, every facility should have a patients’ rights advocate who will meet with people, and give your friend a chance to get some aid there, although that can take time, which seems far longer when stuck inside. The last time I was in a bad hospital, I was working with both them, and also got the head nurse to sit down with me and realise the docs were full of it.
BTW, your friend still has the right to refuse medication without a court order.
@alice@lgbtqia.space Hey, MH pro here, though not in WA. FYI, not sure what you’re being told by whom but:
> They are trying to declare them
permanently gravely disabled which
allows them to be involuntarily
committed.…does not make any medico-legal sense. Involuntary commitment has nothing to do with permanency of condition nor, oddly enough, with the legal concept of disability.
Nobody has to be proved permanently disabled to be involuntarily committed. Involuntary commitment is on the basis of being a danger to self or others, and our (the US’s) entire MH system is organized around the premise that such states are transient and very much temporary, or at least can be stabilized with treatment within a week or two.
Involuntary commitment is not a permanent thing. It tends to be brief, because nobody (meaning neither any insurance companies nor the federal government via Medicaid, Medicare, or Tricare) wants to pay for it. Inpatient is expensive.
deleted by creator
@alice And, this being the United Hellscape of America, being legally designated disabled, especially permanently disabled, is regarded as a privilege not a punishment, and not handed out freely.
I hope your friend gets help sorting this out. It sounds like they are in a bad situation.
Doing a bit of poking around, it looks like Disability Rights Washington (https://disabilityrightswa.org/ ) might be a helpful resource. Or perhaps they can point you at a more mental health specific resource.
Here’s their poster for group homes: https://disabilityrightswa.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/DRW-Poster-General-Large-Final-2018-EDITED-PHONE-HOURS-with-Blue-Box.pdf
@alice Ooh, this page (https://disabilityrightswa.org/publications/patient-rights-at-western-state-hospital-and-eastern-state-hospital/ ) which is a guide for inpatients at the state psychiatric hospitals, says that if a patient believes their rights have been violated they can contact, the Northwest Justice Project (NJP), CLEAR, the Department of Assigned Counsel (DAC), or them.
NJP is apparently legal aid for the indigent, and they run the CLEAR Hotline:
https://nwjustice.org/clear-hotlinedeleted by creator
@alice@lgbtqia.space I hope you can find help in time 🤞🫂
deleted by creator
deleted by creator
@alice@lgbtqia.space oh no.
@alice@lgbtqia.space i have no expertise here but regardless i wish you and your friend the best of luck in getting out of this mess :blobcatheart:
@alice@lgbtqia.space do you know whether your friend has a medical power of attorney, and if so, who their designated representative is?
deleted by creator
@alice@lgbtqia.space if they have an existing advanced directive, the person designated in that would have considerable authority in this kind of situation
(this is why I am always recommending to people that they have an advanced healthcare directive)
