Need advice for mental patient in Louisiana ASAP!

[Phantom1989]

I am hoping someone here can give me advice concerning the rights of mental patients and their families. The story I'm posting here happened on July 19th, 2013 in Alexandria, Louisiana at ~10:30 PM.

My mom was walking to the gas station when a car struck her while she was crossing the highway. Thankfully, the car swerved leaving her with just a few bruises and a headache. When the ambulance put her in the emergency room she told someone there that she wanted to die. After the doctors did all the CT scans and x-rays, they found nothing wrong BUT refused to let her leave due to the suicidal threat. Instead, the next morning a coroner came and committed her to a local mental hospital. Me or my family were never notified by the authorities or doctors. I highly doubt anyone bothered to notify my mom's primary car doctor either. Anyway, when she arrived at the mental hospital they put her on 2 or 3 different antidepressants at the same time and 6 other pills of who knows what. Our family was not notified of this either.

After the second day of treatment they did blood work and found a chemical in her blood (and scratch marks) that led them to believe that she is a meth addict. So now on top of all the other medications, the psychiatrist is detoxing her for meth. She has never did meth before. I am around her all the time and know for a fact she is not a user. The reason she has scratches is because we were fishing a few days ago and she got into chiggers (aka "red-bugs") that causes itchy hives. She has been using Benygryl allergy medication to stop the itching and this is the reason for the hospital mistaking the meth chemical in my mom's blood. The psychologist does not believe the story though and is continuing to treat her for meth addiction. The psychiatrist is also calling social services to visit our house every week to make sure she is not using/cooking meth.

Also, my mom's primary care doctor put her on a prescription for sleep disorder last year that has worked well - but the psychiatrist took her off of it and put her on "his" medication without even consulting the primary doctor. All the medications they are shoving down her throat has put her in bad shape where she can barley walk or talk!

To sum things up...

1) Sent to bad mental hospital by coroner without family consultation.
2) False accusations of using meth.
3) 2 or 3 different anti depressants at the same time.
4) 6 different pills of who knows what.
5) Psychiatrist has not returned our phone calls.
6) Primary care doctor was not notified.
7) Psychiatrist changed primary doctor's prescription without notification.
8) Family has not been notified (not even once) for any of the above.

Don't get me wrong, my mom wants help and admits she has a problem with depression - but me and my family are very concerned about our mom's safety at this mental institution and we are not being notified by the doctors about anything that is happening with her health care.

 

[Phantom1989]

I have many questions and concerns, but what should I do to get her transferred to another facility?
Remember, she was placed at the current hospital by order of the coroner - not voluntary.

Tomorrow is Monday morning and the primary care doctor should be back in his office, so I will be calling him to see what he can do.
Can a patient's family doctor get the coroner to move her?

 

[ecmst12]

Your mother's caregivers cannot talk to you about her care. She seems to be competent so she is in control of her own care. If she's under a 72 hour involuntary commitment, then she won't be able to leave the hospital until it's completed. Benadryl does not chemically resemble meth....someone isn't being honest and I don't think it's the doctors.

 

[sandyclaus]

I am hoping someone here can give me advice concerning the rights of mental patients and their families. The story I'm posting here happened on July 19th, 2013 in Alexandria, Louisiana at ~10:30 PM.

My mom was walking to the gas station when a car struck her while she was crossing the highway. Thankfully, the car swerved leaving her with just a few bruises and a headache. When the ambulance put her in the emergency room she told someone there that she wanted to die. After the doctors did all the CT scans and x-rays, they found nothing wrong BUT refused to let her leave due to the suicidal threat. Instead, the next morning a coroner came and committed her to a local mental hospital. Me or my family were never notified by the authorities or doctors. I highly doubt anyone bothered to notify my mom's primary car doctor either. Anyway, when she arrived at the mental hospital they put her on 2 or 3 different antidepressants at the same time and 6 other pills of who knows what. Our family was not notified of this either.

After the second day of treatment they did blood work and found a chemical in her blood (and scratch marks) that led them to believe that she is a meth addict. So now on top of all the other medications, the psychiatrist is detoxing her for meth. She has never did meth before. I am around her all the time and know for a fact she is not a user. The reason she has scratches is because we were fishing a few days ago and she got into chiggers (aka "red-bugs") that causes itchy hives. She has been using Benygryl allergy medication to stop the itching and this is the reason for the hospital mistaking the meth chemical in my mom's blood. The psychologist does not believe the story though and is continuing to treat her for meth addiction. The psychiatrist is also calling social services to visit our house every week to make sure she is not using/cooking meth.

Also, my mom's primary care doctor put her on a prescription for sleep disorder last year that has worked well - but the psychiatrist took her off of it and put her on "his" medication without even consulting the primary doctor. All the medications they are shoving down her throat has put her in bad shape where she can barley walk or talk!

To sum things up...

1) Sent to bad mental hospital by coroner without family consultation.
2) False accusations of using meth.
3) 2 or 3 different anti depressants at the same time.
4) 6 different pills of who knows what.
5) Psychiatrist has not returned our phone calls.
6) Primary care doctor was not notified.
7) Psychiatrist changed primary doctor's prescription without notification.
8) Family has not been notified (not even once) for any of the above.

Don't get me wrong, my mom wants help and admits she has a problem with depression - but me and my family are very concerned about our mom's safety at this mental institution and we are not being notified by the doctors about anything that is happening with her health care.

Your mom is an adult. The doctors are not obligated to contact family members to ask about her health.

If she failed to provide them with her primary care physician name and contact information, then the current providers wouldn't be able to contact them.

If you are so concerned about your mother, I would suggest that you contact her PCP and have THEM get in touch with the facility where your mother is currently being placed for her own safety. She was placed there involuntarily due to the fact that her suicidal outburst (I want to die) indicated that she was a danger to herself.

If you are concerned that she is being somehow mistreated, then hire her an attorney that can see to her needs and assess the situation more carefully.

 

[CJane]

I hope you understand how the story sounds:

My mother, who has been previously diagnosed with depression, was walking up to the gas station at 10:30 pm, and stepped in front of a vehicle while crossing the highway. She received only minor injuries, but admitted in the ER that she may be suicidal (this AFTER WALKING INTO TRAFFIC AT NIGHT). She was admitted under an involuntary psychiatric hold, and 2 days later tested positive for methamphetamine, and has unexplained injuries consistent with methamphetamine use. No one will believe that she just got a whole bunch of chigger bites and took too much benedryl a few days before the incident (5 days, give or take, before the "meth" showed up in her system)!

Really?

 

[Isis1]

I hope you understand how the story sounds:

My mother, who has been previously diagnosed with depression, was walking up to the gas station at 10:30 pm, and stepped in front of a vehicle while crossing the highway. She received only minor injuries, but admitted in the ER that she may be suicidal (this AFTER WALKING INTO TRAFFIC AT NIGHT). She was admitted under an involuntary psychiatric hold, and 2 days later tested positive for methamphetamine, and has unexplained injuries consistent with methamphetamine use. No one will believe that she just got a whole bunch of chigger bites and took too much benedryl a few days before the incident (5 days, give or take, before the "meth" showed up in her system)!

Really?

i just googled "can benedryl cause a positive meth drug test". that would be a "no".

OP, come back with another drug to test your theory. Nice try.

ETA: keep in mind....these false positives are for urine tests only. further research such as a simple blood test would clear that up anyway.

 

[CJane]

ETA: keep in mind....these false positives are for urine tests only. further research such as a simple blood test would clear that up anyway.

And... it was a blood test:

After the second day of treatment they did blood work and found a chemical in her blood (and scratch marks) that led them to believe that she is a meth addict.

I'm sure that OP meant to say that Mom was taking Sudafed, which IS a component in making Meth - but still would not cause a false positive blood test, and certainly not several days later.