GOVERNMENTS ARE FAILING CHILDREN WITH MENTAL ILLNESS
Posted on 24 November 2009 by admin
Editor:
The B.C. government has now committed crimes against children.
It is inhumane to place children into adult mental wards because the government has closed beds for children in psychiatric wards.
At 16, my daughter suffered a major psychotic break.
There wasn’t a bed available for her in a children’s psychiatric ward.
She was committed by the B.C. government under the Mental Health Act and placed in an adult ward while we waited for one of the eight available beds for the Interior of B.C.
During this month-long wait, she escaped three times.
During one of these escapes she was wandering around in a pair of pajamas totally incoherent and unable to perceive the world around her.
I’m thankful that she was not abducted and raped— as she accepted a ride from a total stranger wearing a blue shirt in a white car.
When questioned she believed the stranger in a white car and a blue shirt was a policeman.
I called the hospital to let them know my daughter was at home.
I told the hospital that I would be keeping her at home until a bed was made available for her in a children’s unit.
The hospital’s reply was, “You can’t do that, she is a Ward of the Government now!”
The government claims that the Mental Health Act adequately protects the mentally ill.
If the mentally ill are deemed an endangerment to themselves and others they can be committed under the law.
Now considering this, isn’t a person an endangerment to themselves when they submit themselves to living on the streets in freezing temperatures without adequate housing?
I feel that Canada should be charged for inhumane, unjust, and neglectful actions in the care of the mentally ill children of the country.
If you are outraged and appalled as much as I am please contact your local MLA , and voice your support for the mentally ill children of our country.
Carrie-Ann Dambrowitz,
Osoyoos
OSOYOOS TIMES-November 25, 2009
I feel the need to reply to this letter due to my own experience with my daughter. At the age of 17 my daughter also had a psychotic break. At the time we did not know anything about these illnesses. We noticed that she had a blue bump on one side of her head. We thought that perhaps there was some kind of connection so she was taken to emergency to be evaluated. We were told she would have priority. We waited for over 8 hours in this tiny dingy little room with no place for her to get comfortable. I would repeatedly ask the nurses what was taking so long but they always said they would look into it. By the time the doctor finally was able to see her and evaluate her (which was only about 5 minutes.) He told us that we had two choices take her home and medicate her and wait 6 months for an mri or admit her to the adolecents ward so that they could do a scan within 2 to 3 days. In th meantime the stress of waiting 8 hours had really amplified her condition. We were torn because we didn’t want to admit her because we would not be able to see or be with her until visiting hours and she did not want us to leave her. When we asked where she would be placed they said they didn’t know and to call them in the morning. We asked if we could at least be advised as to what medication she would be given. At this time they seemed very annoyed with us and very abruptly just put her in a wheelchair and took her away. At that time I thought they must know what they are doing, I have to trust them. They placed her in a lockdown adult ward. She was given major drugs and when we finally got to see her in the morning she was a mess. She told us how in the middle of the night another patient had come into her room and she had to physically get him out. We were beside ourselves. Not only did they not put her with the adolecents but they put her in the worst possible situation for her mental state. She was finally moved after two days of us fighting with the system to another adult ward. It just was one disaster after another. She was finally released but not properly diagnosed. Was given the wrong medication which set her back even more. At the end of it all she was diagnosed after almost 2 years with generalized anxiety. The whole time they were trying to treat her for schizophrenia which she never had and still doesn’t have. She is very leary of medication and has tried to deal with her anaxiety through therapy and nutrition. I have learned now that the outcome would have been totally different if she had been admitted to the adolescent ward and diagnosed correctly. Their excuse was there was no available beds.
. Makes me wonder how often this type of mistreatment happens.