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applegeek101 t1_j1y2aru wrote

Reply to comment by Just-10247-LOC in Is the fear of being involuntarily committed making people not seek mental health? by northhiker1

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

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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.

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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

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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!

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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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