Tag: Schizophrenia

Florida: Schizophrenic Man Boiled To Death By Guards NO CHARGES

Darren Rainey, 50, died while incarcerated at the Dade Correctional Institution.  He was serving a 2-year sentence for a victimless crime (possession of cocaine).  At the time of his death, he had only one month to go before his release.

Prison guards forced him to stand in a tiny shower stall while being blasted by scalding hot water, until his skin began to shrivel away from his body and he died.  Fellow inmates say he begged for his life before collapsing in the shower.

The Florida’s Department of Corrections consistently finds new cruel and imaginative punishments for prisoners — allegedly ranging from starvation diets to forcing prisoners to fight so the guards can place bets.

Full story:     Man cooked to death in scalding shower as punishment by prison guards<http://www.policestateusa.com/2014/darren-rainey/>

 

Former employees of Dade Correctional Institution in Homestead say mentally ill are being abused and mistreated. (Photo by Lonny Paul)

Florida:  Schizophrenic Man Boiled To Death By Guards NO CHARGES

The Florida Department of Corrections did not do an investigation because no autopsy was done at the time of Darren Rainey’s murder. What about witnesses?

According to reports this man was a schizophrenic who was incarcerated for possession of a small amount of cocaine (today drug addiction is seen as a medical problem and not a crime now that the complexion changed). He had a medical problem and did not deserve to die in this manner. He had mental illness, so what treatment did he receive? Scalding hot water when he defecated on himself!

This was simply outrageous. It came in the wake of the increasing exposure of police brutality and profit schemes around private prisons involving the judicial system. Yet, there was still no justice. Racial profiling schemes are built on the War on Drugs, and the ‘Broken Windows’ theory intentionally targets people of color, the homeless and the mentally ill.

Darren Rainey was the perfect target. A bullseye was written all over him by a corrupt justice system that labelled and condemned him to this evil fate. A fate that saw him tortured and murdered by prison guards without remorse or respect for humanity.

An oppressive air of slavery resides at Dade Correctional, where the inmates are at the hands of cruelty by their masters (aka prison guards). The article makes clear this correctional facility is notorious for its torture yet Florida decided that no investigation was necessary.

Almost two years passed at Dade Correctional Institution in Florida, where it appeared Darren Rainey was abused, tortured and humiliated regularly by prison guards. At this facility known for torture of inmates, this was routine.

On May 2014, Julie K. Brown of The Miami Herald wrote the first in a series of stories about violence and corruption at Dade CI and other prisons. She wrote that there had been constant accusations of poor treatment of mentally ill prisoners, poor conditions in the food preparation area, and other concerns.[5]<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dade_Correctional_Institution#cite_note-BrownbackinSpotlight-5>

In 2014 former Dade CI prisoner Harold Hempstead accused prison authorities of fatally torturing prisoner Darren Rainey <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Darren_Rainey>.

In July 2014 Mike Crews, the FDOC secretary, suspended the warden of the Dade Correctional Institution and put him on paid leave. Later that month Cummings was fired.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dade_Correctional_Institution

What Deterrents Are In Place to Prevent Such Abuses by Prison Guards?

There is the Constitution and there are laws; however there is no one to enforce them behind bars when the enforcers are the perpetrators.

Prison guards and law enforcement officers are always given the benefit of the doubt even when the evidence points to murder. In the case of Darren Rainey, none of the guards faced charges; they returned to duty. The case was reopened earlier this year and again no charges filed against the four correctional officers involved in the torture death of Mr Rainey. This happens too frequently where law enforcement officials are not charged for cold bloodied murder.

Murder is murder, and it shoukd have consequences, whether the criminal justice system wishes to acknowledge the crime or not.

Those prison guards are now more of a threat to inmates than ever before, because they got away with murder. As long as their crime is confined to the prison, society ignores it. But what about their families and friends? Aren’t they too at risk for domestic violence, child abuse and a life of suffering crime?

A murderer is a murderer even in uniform, and that person remains dangerous despite our justification and feigned ignorance.

Eventually, we become what we tolerate.

References:

  1. Protesters to Demand Rundle’s Resignation Today Over Darren Rainey’s Death<http://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/darrenrainey-darren-rainey-protesters-to-demand-justice-rundles-resignation-today-9228377>

http://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/darrenrainey-darren-rainey-protesters-to-demand-justice-rundles-resignation-today-9228377

  1. Innocent pedestrian attacked by police, framed with charges, imprisoned for 15 months<http://www.policestateusa.com/2014/ronald-jones/>

http://www.policestateusa.com/2014/ronald-jones/

  1. Miami Herald: Allegations Of Abuse Of Mentally-Ill In Florida Prison<http://fcir.org/2014/05/21/miami-herald-allegations-of-abuse-of-mentally-ill-in-florida-prison/>

http://fcir.org/2014/05/21/miami-herald-allegations-of-abuse-of-mentally-ill-in-florida-prison/

  1. Source of Lead: Amor Welcome to Daily Life and Living Blog!<http://dailylifeandliving.blogspot.com/>

 

 

Working Relationships

Acutely ill pt; note manpower (trauma team)
CPR Training; All First Responders CPR Certified
First Responders: Medic, Police Officer and Fire Fighter
Note the MANPOWER and FIRST RESPONDERS as well as NO GUNS pointed despite bombing
A Police Officer helping a child…and no guns

Working Relationships

We used MANPOWER or the badge and uniform…we called a code, and all hands (many little hands of nurses and a doctor) were on deck as we gently put  patients in restraints.    Intravenous access (IV),  labs and administration of medication For an acutely agitated, belligerent confused patients  as well as Trauma work-up for patients without  prior history of confusion including EKG (Cardiac and Infectious problems often present with confusion), head and neck imaging and urinary catheter.  For all others,  vigilance was key in monitoring  patients in the EDs I worked. Always, attempting to Calm patients even if I sometimes fed into their fantasies of the stars just to talk them down calmly if need be.

 

Never provoke agitated patients…because it is well-known it only agitates patients more causing higher blood pressures and  tachycardia. But isn’t that common sense basic training?

 

Manpower did not seem to be an issue in any of the videos of police violence. Mike Brown had his hands in the air…. The uniform calms all but the acutely psychotic patient.

 

At nights when staff was minimal, if a patient became violent –spitting and wielding wildly at staff or I sometimes with sharp objects– we backed-off, usually I talked to the patient until the police arrived. One officer and he never drew his gun in my over 20 years experience working in EDs.

 

Do not accept the  aggressive and threatening behaviors and attitudes of cops as first responders. As first responders there are protocols that should be adhered in cases of patients with altered mental status. Why did cops fire  their weapons when there was no emergent or imminent threat ? And why does the medical system condone use of unnecessary force with lethal outcomes when non-lethal means are routinely used in EDs?  

 

 Concern for ED staff and patients when the wrong cop is called to help with a belligerent patient, will he or she immediately fire a weapon multiple times in a busy ED?   What if the ED staff is discriminatory  (like the crew I met at Tufts) will the officer fire his weapon indiscriminately at any  black person?    We do not know !  Let us not wait for this eventuality.

Observations:

1.  Virtually all  victims’ videos were unarmed, alleged to have a knife, (usually a pocketknife or scissors) and  alleged to resist arrest  and shot  at least 6 times by veteran cops with unknown names and no accountability or arrests.

2.  Murder taken so lightly by society,  emboldens more murders as we see today where it is daily.    A blatant derision of the constitution and  reflection of privileged status above the law.

3.  Less paper-work with a dead victim as well as  fringe benefit of  paid time-off if disputed.

 

4.  The default discriminatory :  Weapons in cases of black and brown folks and treatment in cases of white men and often white women.  An unarmed black person is killed every 28 hours  by  police in one report read recently about the New Jim Crow.

 

I would venture to guess 90% of “normal” white males have never experienced discrimination. Discrimination throughout all dimensions, vertical and horizontals, what do you think?

The above images have a common theme of manpower?  Why do deaths invariably occur  before manpower arrives ?  Is this a delay in the EMS system?   Or is backup not called under after a police killing?

VIDEO: Family Releases Video of Man Being Killed by Fort Bend Officer (graphic)

http://benswann.com/video-family-releases-video-of-man-being-killed-by-fort-bend-officer/#ixzz31YDI3UiK

 

Excellent  Related  Articles:

 

1.  Where I’m coming from and how I got PTSD in the first place. How it almost ruined my life.

http://normalisjustanaverage.wordpress.com/where-im-coming-from-and-how-i-got-ptsd-in-the-first-place-how-it-almost-ruined-my-life/

2.  How should police handle people with autism?

http://autism.voirici.net/?p=375

3.  Aspergers Teens and Driving a Car

http://www.myaspergerschild.com/2011/07/aspergers-teens-and-driving-car.html

 

4. Police Treatment of Mental Illness

http://wp.me/p2oZth-4ar

 

5.  Police Brutality: An Unstoppable Epidemic

http://wp.me/p2oZth-3O5

 

7.  United States Citizens Justice Database | Updated Sept 1

http://wp.me/p2oZth-3uR

 

8.  Reflections: Military Police Delivery of Healthcare |Videos

http://wp.me/p2oZth-4eW

Schizophrenia (Easy-to-Read) | NIMH

Google image

This is from the NIMH web site (link below)

Do you know someone who seems like he or…

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Schizophrenia (Easy-to-Read) | NIMH

Google image
Google image

This is from the NIMH web site (link below)

Do you know someone who seems like he or she has “lost touch” with reality? Does this person talk about “hearing voices” no one else can? Does he or she see or feel things no one else can? Does this person believe things that aren’t true?

Sometimes people with these symptoms have schizophrenia, a serious illness. Read this brochure to find out more.

What is schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a serious brain illness. Many people with schizophrenia are disabled by their symptoms.

People with schizophrenia may hear voices other people don’t hear. They may think other people are trying to hurt them. Sometimes they don’t make any sense when they talk. The disorder makes it hard for them to keep a job or take care of themselves.

Who gets schizophrenia?

Anyone can develop schizophrenia. It affects men and women equally in all ethnic groups. Teens can also develop schizophrenia. In rare cases, children have the illness too.

When does it start?

Symptoms of schizophrenia usually start between ages 16 and 30. Men often develop symptoms at a younger age than women. People usually do not get schizophrenia after age 45.

What causes schizophrenia?

Several factors may contribute to schizophrenia, including:

  • Genes, because the illness runs in families
  • The environment, such as viruses and nutrition problems before birth
  • Different brain structure and brain chemistry.

Scientists have learned a lot about schizophrenia. They are identifying genes and parts of the brain that may play a role in the illness. Some experts think the illness begins before birth but doesn’t show up until years later. With more study, researchers may be able to predict who will develop schizophrenia.

What are the symptoms of schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia symptoms range from mild to severe. There are three main types of symptoms.

  1. Positive symptoms refer to a distortion of a person’s normal thinking and functioning. They are “psychotic” behaviors. People with these symptoms are sometimes unable to tell what’s real from what is imagined. Positive symptoms include:
  • Hallucinations: when a person sees, hears, smells, or feels things that no one else can. “Hearing voices” is common for people with schizophrenia. People who hear voices may hear them for a long time before family or friends notice a problem.
  • Delusions: when a person believes things that are not true. For example, a person may believe that people on the radio and television are talking directly to him or her. Sometimes people believe that they are in danger-that other people are trying to hurt them.
  • Thought disorders: ways of thinking that are not usual or helpful. People with thought disorders may have trouble organizing their thoughts. Sometimes a person will stop talking in the middle of a thought. And some people make up words that have no meaning.
  • Movement disorders: may appear as agitated body movements. A person with a movement disorder may repeat certain motions over and over. In the other extreme, a person may stop moving or talking for a while, a rare condition called “catatonia.”
  1. Negative symptoms refer to difficulty showing emotions or functioning normally. When a person with schizophrenia has negative symptoms, it may look like depression. People with negative symptoms may:
  • Talk in a dull voice
  • Show no facial expression, like a smile or frown
  • Have trouble having fun
  • Have trouble planning and sticking with an activity, like grocery shopping
  • Talk very little to other people, even when they need to.
  1. Cognitive symptoms are not easy to see, but they can make it hard for people to have a job or take care of themselves. Cognitive symptoms include:
  • Trouble using information to make decisions
  • Problems using information immediately after learning it
  • Trouble paying attention.

Teens can get schizophrenia, but it may be hard to see at first. This is because the symptoms may look like problems many teenagers have. A teen developing schizophrenia may:

  • Start getting bad grades in school
  • Change friends
  • Have trouble sleeping
  • Be irritable or moody.

How is schizophrenia treated?

There is no cure for schizophrenia. But two main types of treatment can help control symptoms: medication and psychosocial treatments.

1. Medication. Several types of antipsychotic medications can help, so the type of medication depends on the patient. Sometimes a person needs to try different medications to see which work best for him or her.

Medications can cause side effects. Most of the time side effects go away after a few days. Others take more time. Patients should always tell their doctor about these problems. Side effects include:

  • Blurry vision
  • Body movements a person can’t control, like shaking
  • Dizziness
  • Drowsiness
  • Fast heartbeat
  • Feeling restless
  • Menstrual problems
  • Sensitivity to the sun
  • Skin rashes
  • Stiffness in the body.

Some types of antipsychotics can cause a lot of weight gain and other health concerns, which can lead to diabetes, high cholesterol, or other conditions. Still other types can cause a movement disorder where a person cannot control muscle movements, especially around the mouth.

It is important to report any of these serious side effects to the doctor. Patients should not stop taking a medication without a doctor’s help. Stopping medication suddenly can be dangerous, and it can make the symptoms of schizophrenia worse.

2. Psychosocial treatments. These treatments help patients deal with their illness from day to day. The treatments are helpful after patients find a medication that works. Treatments include:

  • Drug and alcohol treatment: this is often combined with other treatments for schizophrenia
  • Family education: ways to help the whole family learn how to cope with the illness and help their loved one
  • Illness management skills: ways for the patient to learn about the illness and manage it from day to day
  • Rehabilitation: help with getting a job and everyday living skills
  • Self-help groups: support from other people with the illness and their families
  • Therapy: talking with a therapist about living with the illness and learning how to manage symptoms, like hearing voices or having delusions.

Are people with schizophrenia violent?

Most people with schizophrenia are not violent. However, a few people have this problem. Violence usually happens at home with family members.

Suicide is a problem for some people with schizophrenia. They are more likely than other people to attempt suicide. If you know someone who talks about suicide, help him or her find help quickly.

What about drugs and alcohol?

Taking illegal drugs and drinking too much alcohol are problems for some people with schizophrenia. When a person is using drugs, they are less likely to follow a treatment plan.

Most experts believe drugs and alcohol do not cause schizophrenia, but they may make antipsychotic medications less helpful. Also, drugs like marijuana make symptoms worse.

It is very common for people with schizophrenia to smoke cigarettes. However, smoking may make the medications less useful. It is hard for people to quit smoking because it might make their schizophrenia symptoms worse for a while. Doctors need to help any patient with schizophrenia who wants to quit smoking.

How can I help someone I know with schizophrenia?

Families are usually the caregivers for people with schizophrenia. Family members can help their loved one get treatment. They can also learn how to help their loved one do his or her best in everyday life.

Caring for and supporting a family member with schizophrenia can be hard. People with the disorder may not want treatment. They may stop taking their medication. If this happens, you may need help from the police or a hospital. Doctors at the emergency room can check your loved one and decide whether he or she needs professional help.

It’s important to respect a person with schizophrenia. But you do not have to allow dangerous behavior. Stay in touch with your loved one’s doctors. Talk to them about how to help your family member through good and bad times.

Check to see if there are any support groups in your area. Talking to others who care for people with schizophrenia may help your whole family.

Taken from NIMH  link  http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/schizophrenia-easy-to-read/schizophrenia-easy-to-read.shtml#Who gets schizophrenia?

Contact us to find out more about schizophrenia.

National Institute of Mental Health Science Writing, Press & Dissemination Branch 6001 Executive Boulevard Room 8184, MSC 9663 Bethesda, MD 20892-9663 Phone: 301-443-4513 or Toll-free: 1-866-615-NIMH (6464) TTY Toll-free: 1-866-415-8051 Fax: 301-443-4279 E-mail: nimhinfo@nih.gov Web site: www.nimh.nih.govExternal Link: Please review our disclaimer.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES National Institutes of Health NIH Publication No. TR-09-3517

Schizophrenia as a Health Disparity (NIMH)

Fascinating article from the NIMH implicitly linking  health disparities  to not only access and…

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Mental Illness : Schizophrenia as a Health Disparity (NIMH article included)

Evidence suggests Schizophrenic psychotic symptoms are triggered by Stress

Fascinating article from the NIMH implicitly linking  health disparities  to not only access and lack of insurance but  under-detection  (aka, missed diagnosis)  of  chronic medical conditions  in people  with  severe mental illness.   Recent studies in this country,  show people with serious mental illness are not only more likely to develop chronic medical conditions, aka, non-communicable diseases, but die 8-27 year earlier  than those in the general population.  The Swedish study below  suggests  under-detection of non-communicable diseases, such as heart disease, cancer and lung diseases,  in patients with schizophrenia as a reason for  mental illness disparities.

In  adults,  the leading causes of mortality (death)  are chronic medical conditions–heart dx, obesity, diabetes, pulmonary dx.    These conditions are more common in people with mental illness but less often diagnosed (detected by providers).   Why?

 In patients with schizophrenia,  the  Swedish study found only  about 25% of deaths from heart disease were diagnosed or detected prior to death.  In other words, 75% of   schizophrenic patients with heart disease  died from heart attacks  that was not detected  (diagnosed) prior to death.   Despite  Sweden’s  universal health coverage, where mental health patients have access  with frequent visits,   under-detection or possible  missed diagnoses were  contributing causes of death for people with schizophrenia.

They die at earlier ages because of missed diagnosis of common treatable medical conditions.
Mental Illness Destroys Lives

This should make us pause,  under-detection, (I say missed diagnoses)  may  represent gaps in provider education.  As providers, we  are in dire need of training  in  screening and treating mental illness, especially in children, as well as,  understanding cultural norms in the context of  mental illness.  In other words, many in this system lack cultural competence.

Surprisingly, many  providers still harbor stigmatizing views of mental illness.     My  own  poignant  reminder  that a  perceived diagnosis of mental illness  or stress freed  providers to dismiss  the many elephants pointing to alternative diagnoses resulting in  “missed”  diagnosis.

Shoved into the world of mental illness
With psychiatrists who prescribe meds,
More meds and even more meds to treat the side effects
Of meds.
Are mental illness patients getting  quality medical care?
This is worthy of further research
Medications almost killed me!

As physicians  we need better communication and cultural skills.  Yes, we are trained to heal.   However, lack of cultural and linguistic competence  remain barriers to good  health care;  creating  breathing grounds for stereotypes and stigmas.   This leads to  “missed” diagnosis, misdiagnosis or under-detection).

{Food For Thought #1: In the US, health disparities  are largely  determined  by poverty and ethnicity.   I believe  mandating training in culture as part of continuing medical education  may lead to better communication with patients,  and decreased morbidity nd mortality of patients with chronic medical illnesses.   Many have co-existing mental illness which is emphasized at the expensive of  missing common treatable medical conditions.}

The findings of the Swedish study are surprising in the gravity and urgency to  help  people with mental illness,  who  we  know are dying not only from suicide or homicide but  also from missed diagnosis of  treatable medical conditions.    Many were under the care of providers.   That’s bad!  Here the science is  far ahead of the practice.  This is  Failure to Listen  in healthcare and it is systemic!. 

Failure-to-Listen-in-red.nice

 {Food for Thought 2:    Did you know over 70% of children receive treatment for mental illness through schools ( usually as part of their IEP),  many without   specific diagnosis?     This means our children’s mental illnesses  are not  treated by anyone with the expertise to diagnosis or treat  mental illness.    Health, which include mental health,  can be a barrier to learning!   How can a child focus if depressed or sleep-deprived?

Food for Thought 3:  On the battlefield ,  did you know many  in our military are  defending this country and its people through the use of  antidepressants and/or narcotics?    Yes, we are drugging our soldiers so they can go onto to the battlefield.   Fighting wars on the outside battling  physical and mental pain inside… they deserve the BEST  healthcare.   Are they getting it? }

Often complaints by patients with mental illness, especially schizophrenia and other severe mental illness,  are not given equal attention and many are framed in the context of mental illness partly because of communication.

One can easily see why patients with severe mental illness  would die  up to 25 years younger from treatable medical condition  compared to the general population.

In the interest of fairness, most providers are competent and dedicated  groups of people who do  great jobs. Unfortunately, it only takes a couple of severely incompetent ones to open another world of medicine where patients are victims.  I apologize for the ranting.

Mental Illness a Silent Killer!
Mental Illness a Silent Killer!

**********

Enjoy the article —  with link to full article at the end.

Schizophrenia as a Health Disparity (NIMH)

By Thomas Insel on March 29, 2013

…….a new report on co-morbidity and mortality in persons with schizophrenia in Sweden.1 What Dr. Braunwald was thinking about was the Swedish universal health care system and population registries, making Sweden the ideal setting for epidemiology, the study of patterns and determinants of disease in populations. For a disorder like schizophrenia, virtually every affected person is identified and the predictive value (accuracy) of diagnosis is over 94 percent. Unlike in this country, there are few barriers to care based on insurance, access, or geography.

Which is why you should look at these new data on mortality. Crump and colleagues followed a Swedish national cohort of over 6 million adults between 2003 and 2009 to detect mortality and illness based on the results of every outpatient or inpatient visit nationwide. Among the 8,277 people with schizophrenia, men died 15 years earlier and women died 13 years earlier than the rest of the population. This early mortality was not due to suicide, but to cardiovascular disease, cancer, and pulmonary disease. The adjusted hazard ratio (increased risk) for mortality from ischemic heart disease in women with schizophrenia was a stunning 3.3—in other words, women with schizophrenia have over 3 times the risk of dying from heart disease compared with women in the general population—and for men with schizophrenia it was 2.2. Importantly, heart disease and cancer were not more common in people with schizophrenia, but mortality from these diseases was increased markedly.

These numbers might not be so surprising in the United States, where recent studies report early mortality in people with serious mental illness ranging from 8 years2 to 27 years.3 But in a country with a far more effective health care system, one might have expected much better health outcomes. In fact, in the Swedish study, people with schizophrenia were seen nearly twice as often for medical care as the general population. Yet even with these extra visits, heart disease and cancer went undetected: only 26.3 percent of people with schizophrenia who died of heart disease and 73.9 percent who died of cancer had been diagnosed previously. Another surprise—treatment with antipsychotic medications, which might have been considered a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, actually lowered the risk. The highest risk was among those not treated with antipsychotic medication.

What’s the lesson for the United States? The authors end this new report with this reflection: “Underdetection of important causes of mortality in schizophrenia patients in Sweden, despite universal health care, raises the question of whether it may be an even larger problem in countries without universal health care.” Indeed. While we are hopeful that the implementation of mental health parity and new, integrative care approaches such as medical homes will close the gap on early mortality and under-treated co-morbid conditions in the United States, the Swedish data suggest this may not be so easy……For the full article click on the following  link:

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/about/director/2013/schizophrenia-as-a-health-disparity.shtml

Other views of Culture:

How Doctors Die – – Popular blog  and   touching post by Dr. Ken Murrayy

For the Elderly, Medical Procedures to Avoid     http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/28/for-the-elderly-lists-of-tests-to-avoid/