Question:
After thinking about it a while, I thought, well, since I’ve got some time, maybe I will go check this thing out — my first impression was that the advocacy page was indeed some sort of urban legendy thing trying to incite people to write their congressmen, etc., flood the internet and federal employees’ emails with more garbage…. but then I clicked on the owlpages/cham pages directly (can’t give the full URL because I had already deleted the original post, but the URL was listed directly below Todoeeooo’s name, I think), and there I found more information and a news article which told the whole, sad, tragic story. So, yes, to those who are wondering (Leasa, et al), it sounds as though this thing is the real megillah, a very sad and tragic ending to a very ill young woman’s life. I am apologizing here because I had immediately assumed because of the way the post came to us on ASED that it was yet another internet hoax. It isn’t. Unfortunately because of the way the "Advocacy" aspect was presented without any background or real information for us here, coming out of the blue and seemingly off-topic for ASED, it sounded like a scam. Spoilering for information about what this is all about: severe mental illness, SI, death s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s A young woman in Arizona committed suicide in front of the outpatient community mental health facility where she had gone several times for help. She was suffering from severe depression, hallucinations, PTSD, SI and other problems, and her mother had twice recently told the staff at the center that she wasn’t "safe," that she needed to be re-hospitalized, but they dragged their heels. She stopped taking her meds. She went to the mental health center once again and while the staff person was on the phone, she walked outside the building and hanged herself from a railing. A very sad ending to a life. Apparently "Chameleon" had been a participant on an internet mailing list or newsgroup, and it is the members of that organization which have rallied around to urge for reforms in the mental health system. The advocacy is to stimuate others to prod the mental health system into actually doing what they’re only claiming to do — help those who are in need and to provide appropriate and prompt medical and/or psychiatric care. Frankly, I don’t think that all the "blame" can be attributed to the failure of the mental health agency to help this young woman, but there is certainly just cause for a closer examination of their policies and procedures. She sounds as though she were struggling with a lot of problems and her illness must have been very severe. From the description in the news article, the treatment she was supposed to be getting from the outpatient community mental health center was hardly meeting her needs. She had done something very similar a while ago at that same facility, survived and was involuntarily hospitalized. The staff at the center were well aware of her history and had access to her records. The mental health center was probably understaffed, stressed beyond capacity, overbooked, overutilized….and this young woman slipped through the cracks. Hence, the call for advocacy by this internet organization. –Connie — "Starving the flesh wastes the spirit." –Kandis Elliot
Response:
Yes, I visited this site to, and found it to be very sad and tragic. It seems like it is the real deal to me too. It’s so sad. }:}i{:{ Ears Todays Quote: Happiness is the resultant of the relative strengths of positive and negative feelings rather than an absolute amount of one or the other… -Norman Bradburn
Response:
Dear Connie, You are brave for checking this out. I was too skeptical and too fretful of it being true to do so. more thoughts below & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & &&&&&&&&&&&&& In July of this year another person I knew had a web site and wrote of the injustice of the mental health system to those in need and her response was to do the same as this girl. I have yet to understand it and to get over it, reason why I didn’t finish reading anymore on the site. To anyone else thinking that death is a sure way to get things changed in the system please see that you are only changing one thing, your life. There is always more than one place to go. As alluring as suicide can be, please find another approach to your problems. Thank you once again Connie for looking further into this. Leasa May Bear Hugs comfort you and Angel Wings protect you.
Response:
I am apologizing here because I had immediately assumed because of the way the post came to us on ASED that it was yet another internet hoax. It isn’t. Unfortunately because of the way the "Advocacy" aspect was presented without any background or real information for us here, coming out of the blue and seemingly off-topic for ASED, it sounded like a scam. ….. –Connie
Connie, Thank you for apologizing! I’ve discovered this year how healing apologies can be. On a.s.e-d I think I’ve apologized 3 times this year, and it makes me feel good to admit when I make a mistake, and also other people feel good too. It takes a lot of tension out of situations and clears things up. We’re all human, and by nature us humans make mistakes from time to time so it’s normal and natural that anyone who puts her/himself out in life will make mistakes. It’s what we do with them that counts. Kevin K trusting the process…..
Response:
connie, that is sad indeed. scary, its deja vu from two recent events. one, last weekend i had a friend try to kill herself. lets just say she is home because they cant get her treatment. two, on aol boards last night a girl drove herself to the er, suicidal. the doc was a jerk, said she had been there before and why would she get better this time. then told her there were no beds available. she too is at home. scary indeed. shell
I haven’t been following the posts about this very diligently, but I had a situation with the HMO once… I felt suicidal several years ago, called the chrisis line who contacted my HMO … the person on-call at the HMO was called at 2am and was very rude… asking in a very irritated voice "can’t this wait until morning?!?". Let’s just say that I was really depressed, really felt at a <serious danger point, and called the chrisis line not intending for the HMO to be notified, but the counselor at the HMO was totally incompetant in the way the call was handled. I suspect that if I had ended my life that night after the call, the person who answered the phone would consider it a "financial advantage" because the HMO wouldn’t have the expense of treating me (meds for depression, etc…). I hope an HMO gets a large financial settlement someday that makes other HMO’s take medical care, especially for "mental health" related problems, more seriously. P.S. — I realize that I’m projecting my own experiences with HMO’s onto HMO’s in general and there may be exceptions. I guess I am just venting. There is one particual doctor at an HMO who I would like to file some complaints against but I am letting it go. Anyway, I’m glad that now for the most part I don’t cause the HMO’s any "problems" because I’m at a more treatable level that fits into their standard services, but I do have some lingering feelings. So, let’s just mark this post up to a vent! 
Kevin K trusting the process…..
Response:
connie, that is sad indeed. scary, its deja vu from two recent events. one, last weekend i had a friend try to kill herself. lets just say she is home because they cant get her treatment. two, on aol boards last night a girl drove herself to the er, suicidal. the doc was a jerk, said she had been there before and why would she get better this time. then told her there were no beds available. she too is at home. scary indeed. shell
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