Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Immediate Medical Research Opportunity

I really do like doctors and nurses. I respect and honor your abilities, commitment and stamina. But can't you PLEASE figure out some way to keep these people on their medication?

Today, for the millionth time, I got sent to deal with this guy who's off his meds. He's talking 8,000 miles an hour, and ricocheting around his house like one of those paddle ball games with legs. His wife is freaking out, because the guy has made some kind of little sculpture out of paper clips and is convinced it's their kid, but also believes that it's somehow related to a drug gang that's going to kill him.

Can't you just implant a great big slow-release pill in their heads? Or have them pull around a little red wagon full of a lifetime supply of something dripping into their veins? And people wonder why cops have a higher-than-average incidence of alcoholism.

5 comments:

OldSquid said...

Sadly mental health services are sorely underfunded, which leave law enforcement left to deal with these sick people who only usually get emergency care, or held in days in the ED for bed placement if they can be certified or are willing to be voluntary admitted. The mental health "system" is one of the most fragmented systems in the country. We had a guy boarded in our ED for four days awaiting a bed after he would found naked on the freeway proclaiming he was Moses.

Anonymous said...

There are brain implants that do slowly release medication, and ironically, patient advocates petition against these devices because it takes away patient autonomy. And believe me, speaking for mental health professionals, I would desperately want to keep my clients on their medications.

Mark p.s.2 said...

If you believe the psychiatric drugs are in fact medicines you are a fool.
The psychiatric drugs alter the brain, then you blame the persons bad behavior on the "mental illness" rather than withdrawal effects from the drugs.

"The antipsychotics block 70-90 percent of the dopamine receptors in the brain. In response, the brain sprouts about 50 percent extra dopamine receptors. It tries to become extra sensitive. So in essence you've created an imbalance in the dopamine system in the brain. You (now) have too many dopamine receptors. And what happens? People that go abruptly off of the (antipsychotic) drugs, do tend to have severe relapses." ― Robert Whitaker (American journalist and author)

How do you know which it is, the preexisting mental illness , or withdrawing from a drug ( like a drug addict)?

Mark p.s.2 said...

A drug dealer sees a crack addict needing more crack.

The drug dealer gave them the crack in the first place.

Circular logic says “Give them more drugs.”

Anonymous said...

um.....this is why they have shots. Haloperidol Decanoate is a favorite of mine! Seriously, they keep closing the state hospitals and wonder why this happens