The Unreason of Psychiatry: Forced Medication Under Section

[v01ce5]

Dr Ben Gray is an academic and researcher in the field of mental health and was also diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2003, when he spent a total of twelve months under Section in a mental health hospital. In this article, he discusses the limitations and even possible abuses of modern psychiatry and the growth of the hearing voices movement, headed by organisations such as Intervoice and Rethink.

The Unreason of Psychiatry: Forced Medication

 

[midnight]

I am pretrified of being forced medication when I am ill. I have seen some very distressing incidents when I have been in hospital where people have been given meds against their will.

Because of the nature of the sort of hazards we deal with at work there is a small hospital on site and the place is fenced and protected by armed policemen and dogs. When I was starting to become unwell I felt safe insdie the fence knowing that mental health services could not get beyoond the police gates. When it becmae too much I took myself off to the occupational health centre where I stayed on the ward for a few hours and was looked after by the site CPN. I knew 'arrangements' were being made but I kept saying 'please don't call the police' purely because I was so stressed about the potential of being forced medication. I was carted off to the local hospital where I was given a mental health act assessment. I kept asking for a breather as I was feeling so overwhelmed. They did not stop but instead locked the doors of the room I was in which totally stressed me out. So I kicked them open, struggled with the staff and ran out hence the police were called. I ran for a couple of hours trying to get away but I was so scared.

This whole charade happened because I was scared of being forced medication that I did not want to take.

Had I felt in more control of my own destiny I am sure none of this need of happened.

 

[Rorschach]

I've had it done to me on a quite a few times, held down using CnR (Control and Restraint) in a secure unit, then the application of a sedative, usually acuphase (major tranquilliser) jabbed in an available muscle, then in a seclusion cell, asleep for around 48 hrs, boy you wake up hungover from that. My advice, take the oral meds...LOL

 

[daffy]

The thought of forced medication terrifies me. As i said in another thread i have been warned of this in the past if i stop taking my meds.
Ive only had it done once and that was years ago, I didnt know what i was given only that i became a zombie for the next few days, and i dont ever want to feel like that again

 

[Rorschach]

The thought of forced medication terrifies me. As i said in another thread i have been warned of this in the past if i stop taking my meds.
Ive only had it done once and that was years ago, I didnt know what i was given only that i became a zombie for the next few days, and i dont ever want to feel like that again

Interesting when words used about treatment include 'terrifies' 'warned' and 'zombie'. They really respect us don't they! I was actually held down in a secure unit, not for threatening anyone, attacking anyone. As I recall they were getting fed up of my ranting in a faux American accent; now there's a real threat to myself and others.

In hospital its about making their life as easy as possible. The last thing they want is lunatics in an asylum, so they sedate you. It's irrelevant once you're in there what you say or think, you play it by their rules or pay the consequences. 'Please leave your human rights at the door.'

 

[midnight]

Its a shocker isn't it ?

Fortuneately I have never had the CnR situation, it must have been a total nightmare. Are you not scarred from it? I think I would be

I totally agree about "leave your human rights at the door".

Mind you I was in one unit and I was very impressed with how they chose to deal with one guy who was having a 'moment' and getting abit agressive. The unit was based around a number of good sized courtyards and they coaxed him into an empty one, then called a number of bouncer sized staff from the secure unit across the road. I could see what was going on and I thought they were going to pounce on him but they didn't, one of them just appraoched the guy held their hand out to shake his and then sat him down and just chatted to him and calmed him down. the others just stood right back. The guy came back on the less secure unit and it was all forgotten.

Why can't they all be like that?

 

[Rorschach]

Why can't they all be like that?

What you mean using bouncers Actually in my youth I was known to be on the door in Liverpool with members of the dojos I trained in. A few of my teacher's ran security for nightclubs, bonus was I rarely paid to go into any club, and had little trouble when out To be honest not a completely terrible idea...

 

[Rambuie Perspecador]

Inviting tyranny

Hi there
Given that everyone sat back and allowed the provision for Compulsory Treatment to be embedded in the new Mental Health Act, you and I can expect a wider incidence of this kind of tyranny, not less of it. Doctors can now confer the privilege of Diabetes-producing treatment upon us under compulsory conditions - in a secure hospital if we resist - and only a change in the Law could remove their prerogative, as far as I can see. Does anyone have the details of these special powers to subjugate, or is that unfriendly content and not suitable for this site? We really must be dangerous reprobates waiting to happen, if this is, was, or will be in any way appropriate. I mean, isn't the Westminster village so IN TOUCH with the Protection of the Public to turn draconian on us at our expense. That is the sum of what it is to have Mental Health as a Government Priority, along with an impotent, incoherent Opposition in collusion and a National Press specially written for the brain-dead. With me so far? If so, Please, say so!

 

[Rorschach]

Well I've withdrawn consent from my consultant and associated team, so I'll keep you posted

 

[v01ce5]

Hi there
Given that everyone sat back and allowed the provision for Compulsory Treatment to be embedded in the new Mental Health Act, you and I can expect a wider incidence of this kind of tyranny, not less of it. Doctors can now confer the privilege of Diabetes-producing treatment upon us under compulsory conditions - in a secure hospital if we resist - and only a change in the Law could remove their prerogative, as far as I can see. Does anyone have the details of these special powers to subjugate, or is that unfriendly content and not suitable for this site?

Supervised Community Treatment is the main amendment of the hotly contested Mental Health Act 2007. SCT is intended by the government to address situations where previously detained patients leave hospital but do not continue with their treatment, leading to re-admission. They can now be treated without being readmitted, this inevitably means medication can and will be administered in the community.

The ways and means of how this will be done is currently subject to consultation (consultation period ends 24th January) which might be why the article on Poor mental health care endangers public appeared in the Telegraph. My guess is that the consultation is not going well and that the clinicians and other involved professionals remain unhappy (as they were about the legislation in the first place) and the DoH (or lobbying groups like the Zeto Trust) are trying to spin the issues of safety etc as a way of undermining opposition to their plans. You can find full details about the new legislation and implementation plans here.

See the Mental Health Alliance campaign site for the reasons why many people don´t support the new Act and for how the implementation of the Act is progressing.

 

[ramboghettouk]

I take meds, it just seems the best option, for years i was on jabs before it went oral, to this day in winter i get pain in my backside, i'd rather not find mysedlf on compulsorary injections, i'd rather see the velvet glove than the iron fist, i'm old enough to know the iron fist is there

I've seen people come off drugs, it always seems a terrible mistake for them, some need rehousing as they've alienated the neighbours so much, some have been locked up for long periods, others get put on nasty injections with terrible side effects as they're seen to be suffering from a symptom called non compliance with meds

I've heard it claimed people with schitzoprenia can come off meds but i've never seen it, i've heard stories, theres all sorts of mental health stories about these places that are somewhere else, or people who claim certain things and don't disclose the full facts

 

[Rambuie Perspecador]

Supervised Community Treatment is the main amendment of the hotly contested Mental Health Act 2007. SCT is intended by the government to address situations where previously detained patients leave hospital but do not continue with their treatment, leading to re-admission. They can now be treated without being readmitted, this inevitably means medication can and will be administered in the community.

The ways and means of how this will be done is currently subject to consultation (consultation period ends 24th January) which might be why the article on Poor mental health care endangers public appeared in the Telegraph. My guess is that the consultation is not going well and that the clinicians and other involved professionals remain unhappy (as they were about the legislation in the first place) and the DoH (or lobbying groups like the Zeto Trust) are trying to spin the issues of safety etc as a way of undermining opposition to their plans. You can find full details about the new legislation and implementation plans here.

See the Mental Health Alliance campaign site for the reasons why many people don´t support the new Act and for how the implementation of the Act is progressing.

Very informative - many thanks for that. Looking at implications, I am wondering where that would leave someone who accepts treatment 'informally', and then decides for themselves to reject that treatment as no longer appropriate or adequate. I have heard close-hand, of moves by certain MH Staff to provoke informal patients into stepping over the line and invoking section, so that 'they' - the Staff, can compel treatment under a uniformly oppressive regime and implement the compulsory follow-up that you describe.

Incidentally, the confusion is compounded when you cross the border into Scotland, because CTOs there are unequivocally Compulsory Treatment Orders. Presumably SCTs would also be Compulsory, and not Community Treatment. Or maybe this is intended ambivalence to turn the tables on non-compliance with treatment orders. Do you have something on this, also?

Also, it has been long observed that poor community care is largely responsible for a proliferation of almost non-sensical syndromes, as the psychiatric industry comes up with new and lucrative bi-products by marketing their diagnostic innovations, the revolving door - as well as some high profile excesses by neglected patients which splash all over and sell tabloid newspapers, not to forget giving Marjorie Wallace ants in her pants as she fields the back-lash from a manipulated public.

 

[ramboghettouk]

You've heard of staff who get informal patients to overstep the line so they can become formal patients.

I hardly hear of staff or from staff period

 

[Rambuie Perspecador]

You've heard of staff who get informal patients to overstep the line so they can become formal patients. A mis-quote? I hardly hear of staff or from staff period

You could always visit or revisit the revolving door. People do talk about their expereinces in Hospital.

 

[Rorschach]

You've heard of staff who get informal patients to overstep the line so they can become formal patients.

I hardly hear of staff or from staff period

That's why the medicate people, so the patients walk around the ward like zombies and they can all sit drink tea and talk like normal adults in the Nursing office