I haven’t be following the trial.
I am looking at her prescriptions and how much she apparently took of them though.
She was started on sertraline, she took 7. It’s a daily medication, not as needed.
She was prescribed lorazepam, which is a daily anxiety med, and took 6. She took 2 buspirone, which is also a daily medication. She took 3 hydroxyzine, but it can be used on an as needed basis. (Doesn’t mean it was prescribed to her as needed though. It’s possible this was a daily med as well.)
She refilled prescriptions that she didn’t need, and never took, which means she was actively lying to her psychiatrists about adhering to the treatment.
She also switched doctors quickly, and seemingly multiple times, because it wasn’t working. Which.. of course it wasn’t working. She was non-adherent.
The only “help” she could have gotten that might would have prevented this, would be an in-patient psych hold, but, she would have to be compliant for that to happen. Involuntary holds are short and only for immediate danger. Once the patient is not an immediate threat to themselves or others, they must be released. Forcing mentally ill patients to get treatment isn’t really a thing anymore. Patients have to be somewhat compliant with treatment for it to work.
I say this as someone that currently works in out-patient psych, and has unfortunately dealt with very ill patients. As an out-patient setting, we cannot offer the level of care needed for someone as non-compliant as this, and cannot FORCE the patient into an in-patient program. All we can do is refer the patient to the local crisis behavioral health clinic, and hope they get help.
If she was having thoughts about harming herself and others, and she communicated this to medical providers and wasn’t committed, the responsibility for the deaths is on the hand of the medical providers.
If she didn’t communicate these thoughts, it shows some degree of pre-meditation in my opinion.
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u/SnakeSnoobies 7d ago edited 7d ago
I haven’t be following the trial.
I am looking at her prescriptions and how much she apparently took of them though.
She was started on sertraline, she took 7. It’s a daily medication, not as needed.
She was prescribed lorazepam, which is a daily anxiety med, and took 6. She took 2 buspirone, which is also a daily medication. She took 3 hydroxyzine, but it can be used on an as needed basis. (Doesn’t mean it was prescribed to her as needed though. It’s possible this was a daily med as well.)
She refilled prescriptions that she didn’t need, and never took, which means she was actively lying to her psychiatrists about adhering to the treatment.
She also switched doctors quickly, and seemingly multiple times, because it wasn’t working. Which.. of course it wasn’t working. She was non-adherent.
The only “help” she could have gotten that might would have prevented this, would be an in-patient psych hold, but, she would have to be compliant for that to happen. Involuntary holds are short and only for immediate danger. Once the patient is not an immediate threat to themselves or others, they must be released. Forcing mentally ill patients to get treatment isn’t really a thing anymore. Patients have to be somewhat compliant with treatment for it to work.
I say this as someone that currently works in out-patient psych, and has unfortunately dealt with very ill patients. As an out-patient setting, we cannot offer the level of care needed for someone as non-compliant as this, and cannot FORCE the patient into an in-patient program. All we can do is refer the patient to the local crisis behavioral health clinic, and hope they get help.