I'm trying to educate myself on the subject of the civil involuntary commitment process.....I guess it is like the "Reader's Digest" Condensed Version of education". I'm trying to understand my brother's rights as well as ours as a family. From what I now understand my brother is currently only in protective custody. Protective custody occurs when a law enforcement officer detains a person the officer (or in our case the hospital ER doctor) reasonably believes is a person who is a danger to himself or others. Then the officer transports the individual to a facility for an emergency examination which must occur within 12 hours of admission. If determined that the person does require treatment then they are placed into protective custody. None of this requires a court order at this point.
What I have been able to determine is that the moment they no longer believe he is a danger to himself or others he will be released and taken either to the place in which he was taken into custody or the patient's residence. Now.......I'm pretty sure that will either happen today or Friday.
I talked to my brother on the phone last night and he was definitely coming out of his psychosis. He doesn't remember everything but he knows he had a psychotic break. I'm sure his medication has been increased and that is bringing him out of this. What I'm hoping is that he will be referred to the community mental health center here so that he can get follow-up treatment by a psychiatrist. We have tried to find someone to treat him but none of them take medicare. (of course) however the community mental health facility will. So keep your fingers crossed! We're not out of the woods yet!
Well, I retract that.....I just got a call from my brother and he's not talking rational again. He wanted me to bring him $300.00 so he can loan it to "his new good friend" he just met. Now, I know he's not in his right mind because my brother is tight with money and wouldn't loan money to a relative let alone a "new good friend". I guess we are in for a longer stay than I thought.
My New Garden
1 week ago
2 comments:
I cannot imagine dealing with someone like that, and I am sorry that you have to. Hope it turns out that he can be held long enough to get reasonably well again (at least temporarily).
Doesn't our new health care reform cover mental illness? But then that probably doesn't go into effect till January.
I do hope you can find someone who can get his meds under control. Someday I hope this disease get the attention Diabetes or Heart Disease gets and people don't keep falling threw the cracks.
Praying for his stability and for your strength.
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