Mental health care in America -- A Tragic story.

It seems like every week there is a story about someone with mental illness being miss-treated, prescribed incorrect medication, treated with indifference or ignored (in some cases to death) by the very places they went to for help.

There was Esmin Green who died at Brooklyn's Kings County Hospital after sitting for nearly 24 hours she collapsed from her chair and slowly died on June 19 2008. She laid on the floor at the Brooklyn hospital for an hour before a nurse finally checked her pulse. After an autopsy and weeks of tests, the medical examiner's office concluded Friday that Green was killed by pulmonary thromboemboli, blood clots that form in the legs and travel through the bloodstream to the lungs. (Ignored to death?)

Then there was 50-year-old Steven Sabock A mental patient died after workers at a North Carolina hospital left him in a chair for 22 hours without feeding him or helping him use the bathroom. Surveillance video showed hospital staff watching television and playing cards just a few feet away. (Ignored to death?)

And then in 2001 there was Patience Lucas she went to ECMC (Erie County Medical Center) for help and was treated with apathy and indifference to her condition. Minutes after "treatment" she was dead. We love her and miss her.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• news
• mental
• health
• death
• sister
• family
• neglect

[drumheadcircle]

She's in such a great place right now, I'm jealous. All it takes for evil to flourish is for good people to do nothing.

[drumheadcircle]

She's in such a great place right now, I'm jealous.

[cluelessqueen]

this sickens me...how horriflying

[cokeefe219]

It is true that what kind of treatment you get is dependent on your insurance. If you have private insurance, you have shorter stays and less treatment with shorter stays, if you have medicaid, which I call the gold card for hospitals. You get unnecessary treatment and medication to prolong a frustrating longer than necessary stay. Both treatments are detrimental. It's business, not caring that goes on.

[HeavenlyValo]

Okk these are only death. This isn't even showing the sexual abuse that goes on these places. Doctors and patient raping and molesting people who can't defend themselves. A lot of these people are there to receive treatment because of abuse like that.

I'm terrified of having to go to a mental facitlity. a few years ago I had to go in for an evalualtion and I made them send me to a regular hospital with a psycatric care unit. I won't go to one that is specifically for mental care.

[kujhac]

The hospital probably didn't like the amount of money or total lack of money they'd receive for treating her thus "releasing her". The multi-million dollar settlement the family will receive will outweigh any type of insurance money they would not have received.

[sedjetc]

Just because those poor people cannot speak for themselves that these so called "care facilities" does not care at all. So shameful. Hooligans.

[Jagdtoq]

What is this -  the Dark Ages?

[hollywoodartchick]

Not letting the family know what was going on? Not providing transportation on a cold night? How can they deny liability here?