A while back I assessed an artist. She was the real deal in that she had her work in galleries across the country* and was able to make a living (even to the point of buying insurance!) from her work.
She was in a bit of funk and made a suicide attempt one afternoon--and then promptly came to the hospital. I got called to go and assess her and she was up front about her state of mind, her mood, her attempt, everything. She even wanted to go to the hospital. There was just one caveat: she wanted to go on her own accord. Nay, she insisted she go on her own.
Imagine that.
She wanted to have some control. A modicum of self respect before she signed it all away at the psych ward.
And being a social worker, I was on board with that. The problem was she didn't have any family or friends who could take her to the hospital, so there was no way to ensure she actually made it. I went out to talk to the doctor about it and, in a situation that doesn't happen often, he overruled my decision before I could even get the all the cards on the table:
Dr. Kevorkian: She's a suicide attempt. ED** her.
And then he walked away.
All righty then.
I didn't agree but I didn't have a choice at that point. Ultimately, the doctor's letters trump mine. So I started on the paperwork, putting off the inevitable moment where I would have to go in and break the news to the artist.
Who happened to be smart enough to figure out what was happening. And she bolted right out of the hospital.
The nurse involved with the woman freaked out, called security (hospital policy) and then called the local police to go chase her down. When I questioned her on that, she looked at me as if I had landed on planet Earth only moments before and said:
Nurse: I know that woman left to go kill herself! I KNOW she did.
Me: I don't know that at all.
Her: Well, I do. You should have seen her when she got here! I did her intake--she wanted to die!!
She went on for some time about the matter.
I guess the nurse's crystal ball worked better than mine. Obviously, the fact that the artist came to the hospital on her own accord immediately after the attempt was meaningless.
The whole situation left a very bad taste in my mouth. My instincts were right on this one, I was overruled before I had a chance to work out a solid plan, my judgment was questioned by both the medical professionals involved, and in the end, nothing happened. Nothing happened except the artist left against medical advice because she felt caged in, scared, and unheard. Nothing happened except the vast unknown of what the future brought her.
The real trouble is that given what occurred that day, I can't imagine the artist ever wanting to seek mental health help again. ->
*I Googled her
** Emergency Detention: this paperwork forces a person to go inpatient against her will. She loses all her civil rights for the next three days.
Read the complete post at http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/tXCM/~3/0Ecq46ir8Co/i-missed-palm-reading-unit-in-school.html
Posted
20 Mar 2009 2:45 PM
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Trench Warfare
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