Regulations for Involuntary Hospitalization in Pennsylvania?

[Frank J. Perrotta]

I have told my therapist that I have no will to live. I thought I could trust her... she asked if we could contact my psychiatrist and I said it was fine. After talking with his nurse my therapist informed me that if the doc suggested hospitalization that I agree to voluntary hospitalization. If I disagree he could involuntarily hospitalize me. I was told that a judge would sit at a trial at the hospital and decide if I should be hospitalized, how long, and if I should be medicated or not...

Can anyone give me some info on regulations in Pennsylvania. It has been two weeks since the contact with the doc and he has not made any contact. I will see him next week and am a bit nervous about saying something to put the suggestion that I should be hospitalized.... of course I want to tell the doc exactly the truth but do not want to be hospitalized, voluntarily or involuntarily...

thanks for any info,
frank

Regulations for Involuntary Hospitalization in Pennsylvania?

[Frank J. Perrotta]

Thanks again for your time and caring thoughts.

During treatment I was defined as clinically depressed which is most common under treatment.

Some months after treatment ended and it was clear that my health was declining I was defined as situationally depressed. My psychiatrist has suggested a couple times that I return to ADs but after discussing it with him he understood that they probably wouldnt help as my situation would still be the main problem.

I would say that I am NOT depressed but just do not have a desire to carry on. I know it is a sign of weakness but the exhaustion is just too much. I did have dreams of being healthy and advocating as you suggest but I just dont see my health improving and the exhaustion is taking over... I do not wish to die but just cant find the energy to continue... It is a very weird place for me to be in.

I will take your advice and read thru your journal entry and keep in mind an option to PM you.

thanks again for your time and energy.

[ILADVOCATE]

Got it. One essential issue. Do you have depression? Or any other psychiatric disability? Or have you been diagnosed with one? Many people with severe physical disabilities that cause extreme pain have moments where they want to give up on life. That is not grounds for psychiatric hospitalization. Then again some people with depression become suicidal during times when things are minorly wrong. Regardless if you did not have active suicidal ideations and you don't have depression or another psychiatric disability you don't meet the grounds for hospitalization. But let me give you one real life suggestion. There is one reason you want to live. And not give up on life. What happenned to you with hepatitis C treatment must be happenning to other people. In reading your post, I and other people were informed about it. Once this legal issue with hospitalization is settled advocate and testify so that the public is informed and guidelines about this treatment changed. If you weren't around this couldn't happen. Read my latest journal entry and how I was able to take the severe pain and spasms from advanced tardive dyskinesia and dissocation from what is being identified as tardive psychosis and that along with my mental recovery from schizoaffective disorder and  convert it to constructive advocacy. You might use it as a blueprint and feel to pm me if you want more suggestions.

[Frank J. Perrotta]

I started a post long time ago about the lingering side effects of Hep C treatment. I havent added much to it in a while but my current list for new docs is about five pages long.

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/show/286686?personal_page_id=24551&post_id=post_2657520

if youre interested.

Basically I was treated for Hep C, I probably shouldnt have been treated... 20+ years living with it (unknown) and healthy as a horse. Running the hills of San Francisco...

My liver was in very good condition, C levels very low, Geno type not effective in treatment... but the docs scared me into treatment... I "cured" after 72 weeks of first 2 meds (magic pill and chemo injections), then added ADs, blood boosters, sleeping aids... the list got longer and longer.

Treatment messed me up but I maintained my exercise regime. Staff thinks that is what helped me to cure.

Got off all meds... but fatigue got worse, insane weight gain, insomnia, sever shoulder pains, no appetite... all blood work show mostly normal. Some go up some down. Rather chaotic state. We believe that my genetic and cellular and chromosome - all those micro stuff... has somehow been manipulated. The one doc believes that my liver was damaged in some way as well and is not functioning properly but again blood work comes back mostly normal... until you really investigate deeply. Iron looks normal until you did into all the numbers and know how to put the big iron pic together... My estrogen comes back somewhat consistently higher than usual but testosterone is normal. We are just starting an experiment, earlier this week, of testosterone injections to see if the estrogen levels will go down.

I currently eat about 1,000 - 1200 cals and cant lose weight even though I am as active as possible. The weight gain is insane leaving me with a very oddly shaped body. If I meet a new doc and undress they verbally gasp. My gynocomastia is out of control... the doc thinks because the liver is not processing the estrogen properly.

Worst chronic fatigue had me sleeping 15 -17 hours straight. We added Provigil and that gave me about 3 hours of wakefulness... about a year later, this summer, we tried Vyvanse which has given me more wakeful hours. I was on Lorazepam 0.5 but this summer seems I got kinda pseudo-male menopause. Jumped the Loraz to 1.0 and that seemed to help with the constant crying...  I also take Temazepam to help me sleep at nite.

So, pretty chaotic stuff and all unknowns...

I dont mind sharing if you have any other questions... really appreciate the time and effort

frank

p.s. Thanks for sharing your history.

[ILADVOCATE]

Can you explain what you mean by "illness from medical poisoning"? Do you mean you have a severe long term side effect of medications? It would be important to let them know that. I have advanced tardive dyskinesia and there are whole classes of medications I couldn't take as they'd interact. I developed that from when I was given Zyprexa with a typical antipsychotic which came from a misdiagnosis of paranoia when in reality it was medication induced phobia. However, I did need antipsychotics the whole time and still do. The treatment I take is in a Phase II experiment but it is an anti-psychotic and because I have schizoaffective I could not function without one. What is your specific disability? What happenned (Iwhat you refer to as "medical poisoning") from the medications that you felt injured you or condition did it create? Have you had bad reactions to medications? Do they interact? Or has nothing been effective for you? Perhaps you could explain this better and I could give you more information.

[Frank J. Perrotta]

Thank you so much for your advice and warm hearted thoughts.

Of course my story is crazy complicated... dealing with a sudden long term illness from medical poisoning... great docs but little hope for reversal of condition... depression is deemed situational rather than clinical and I havent treated with ADs. I am on anti-anxiety meds plus a whole lot of other **** to try to cover the symptoms of the medical poisoning!

Due to all that cr*p personal life is rather limited and a HUGE goal was just taken away thus the current crisis. Yes, I did start a suicide but was stopped by a friend.

I am in a rather weird position. Rather exhausted putting on a happy face, acceptance of poor health getting worse for the next 40 years, recent emotional devastation - so all in all, I have no desire to live. Would like to live with good health and nice personal life... Dont really want to die but???

Will have my psych appt in a weeks time and still a bit nervous about my words.

I do understand the legal implications the medical community is under and appreciate that but also wonder what kind of pill they have for making a happy face less exhausting?

[ILADVOCATE]

I can tell you one regulation in every state. "Dangerous to self or others". If what you stated was just out of concern and you were not suicidal that's not the best way to express it. If you state that you have intentions to commit suicide they must by law hospitalize you. If you did have suicidal ideations then in telling them you did the right thing but if you really feel that way, then perhaps a short stay in the hospital to adjust to treatment is better so you don't harm yourself. There are legal services to help people fight being involuntarily hospitalized. But even in using this services you must prove to a court of psychiatrists that you have no suicidal ideations. But if you do have suicidal ideations if you tell them you don't you are telling them something that will hurt yourself. The first thing to do is ask yourself what you meant when you said "I have no will to live". In some aspect did you want to die? Or did you just feel depressed? How do you feel now? You don't have to post it here. But if you have to ask yourself. And then tell them the exact truth. And if you did have such extreme feelings of depression and still do I would suggest working on getting help for it even if you don't feel you should be hospitalized because that would indicate that things are wrong. You have to understand its not a matter of trust. There are regulations. It happenned to me once before recovery. But I can't say they did the wrong thing. If any professional has someone tell them about suicidal or homicidal ideations they must report it by law and what you expressed to them were suicidal ideations. But is that what you meant literally? Or not? Try to come to terms with that issue and that certainly is a big one to face.