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Gone
Premium Member
join:2011-01-24
Fort Erie, ON

Gone to DKS

Premium Member

to DKS

Re: [Serious] Statists, be proud! re: Ashley Smith

said by DKS:

One of the questions raised in my mind is the clinical practice of repeatedly administering high doses of anti-psychotics without being seen by a psychiatrist.

It was my understanding that she had been under the care of staff psychiatrists at the facilities where she was held - not an ideal situation in of itself - but she would be repeatedly transferred out without the consultation of the professionals who were involved with her. She would then become another file folder in the pile of the next person at the next facility.

I do recall there was one health care professional involved in her care who had built a relationship and gained her trust and believed to have been making progress, only to see her transferred out without even so much notice or the ability to follow-up. If I remember, this was at the facility before the one where she took her own life.

I find this entire story very difficult to deal with. There's someone in my family who is around the same age as Ashley who has been in and out of the mental health system. I have seen first hand just how poor some of her treatment has been, and just how frustrated some of the well-intentioned professionals are due to lack of resources. I am so angry and so upset because in another world at another time those videos could have been of someone who I care very much about, and the treatment sickens my stomach. I can't even begin to fathom the toll this entire situation from has taken on Ashley's family.

Anav
Sarcastic Llama? Naw, Just Acerbic
Premium Member
join:2001-07-16
Dartmouth, NS

Anav

Premium Member

Concur Gone, if one puts oneself in the shoes of her family members ie if it had happened to ones brother or sister it would be emotionally overwhelming (completely natural reaction). The problem with these situations is we never have a complete picture and what is sad is that authorities (be it RCMP, correctional services) try to hide the truth and thus our trust for them is continually diminishing.

Gone
Premium Member
join:2011-01-24
Fort Erie, ON

Gone

Premium Member

What upsets me more is that despite something as appalling as this happening, most Canadians will continue to give two shits about the plight of the mentally ill in this country and despite all our efforts that will all be for naught so long as people continue to not care. We have people going on about obesity, bullying and all sorts of other things as if they are epidemics and taking quick and decisive action to try and resolve them, but mental health?

I really don't know what's worse - the people who blame the ill which I have seen first-hand happen time and time again on this very forum, or the ones who are oblivious to what's going on and simply don't care which we also have examples of.