01-22-2008, 05:11 AM
01-22-2008, 05:46 AM
Mirror of comment I made on another forum:
That type of stuff happens all the time, and never gets reported. The fact that this incident, as sad and as horrific as it is made the news, is hopefully a sign of progress to a future where stuff like this does not happen.
Notice also the fact that instead of taking the time to find out what causes his meltdowns, and adjust his treatment regimen accordingly, the psych saw fit to take the easy way out and feed him a bunch of pills to control the effects of his mentdowns. -- I look forwards to a day when people like this are are certified to do nothing more than mop floors for a living.
That type of stuff happens all the time, and never gets reported. The fact that this incident, as sad and as horrific as it is made the news, is hopefully a sign of progress to a future where stuff like this does not happen.
Notice also the fact that instead of taking the time to find out what causes his meltdowns, and adjust his treatment regimen accordingly, the psych saw fit to take the easy way out and feed him a bunch of pills to control the effects of his mentdowns. -- I look forwards to a day when people like this are are certified to do nothing more than mop floors for a living.
01-22-2008, 07:10 AM
It sounds like neglect rather than abuse; people were completely ignoring the fact that this kid, for some reason or other, was hurting himself rather badly. That and the dehydration point to a staff who simply didn't care...
I don't know enough about his case to say for sure; but it gives me the impression that this kid is depressed and possibly suicidal. I know that often times, self-injury is a kind of stim rather than a sign of depression; but the way he's been treated and the severity of the injuries makes me think that autism isn't the whole of his problem, or even most of it. Consider: Autistic child grows up with parents who don't know how to help meltdowns; then he's abandoned to the ever-changing foster care system. Lastly, he gets dumped into a mental ward. Who wouldn't be depressed? This teen has been exposed to a world that has repeatedly told him that he's helpless and cannot depend on anything; and that's prime depression-inducing material.
I don't know enough about his case to say for sure; but it gives me the impression that this kid is depressed and possibly suicidal. I know that often times, self-injury is a kind of stim rather than a sign of depression; but the way he's been treated and the severity of the injuries makes me think that autism isn't the whole of his problem, or even most of it. Consider: Autistic child grows up with parents who don't know how to help meltdowns; then he's abandoned to the ever-changing foster care system. Lastly, he gets dumped into a mental ward. Who wouldn't be depressed? This teen has been exposed to a world that has repeatedly told him that he's helpless and cannot depend on anything; and that's prime depression-inducing material.
01-22-2008, 08:13 AM
This story reflects the reality of society that doesn't really care enough and a mental health system that is underfunded and undersupported. Too sad.
01-22-2008, 02:04 PM
Sounds a bit like granny's nursing home. Residents can get dehydrated and not eat much. The staff is supposed to record this and put it on the file. The doctor is supposed to read the file. It the nursing home sends a resident to emergency to be admitted to hospital, the emergency doctor does not want them there and sends them back. The nursing homes does not do intravenous fluids. They also do not like to restrain people which can be cruel but there is not enough staff to supervision someone closely.