Two scandals regarding mental health related facilities have been revealed in the media recently in Iceland.
One is regarding a Christian based substance abuse facility, where the "minister" and head of the facility was convicted for having sexual relations with a number of his clients. Sexual relations of the sort that would be deemed highly unorthodox by most. This facility was run, in large part, on government contributions which make this horrendous betrayal of trust even more serious, if possible.
The other scandal involves the chief physician at the only long term psychiatric forensic facility in Iceland. He has been issuing scripts for stimulants on names of patients who have never received such medicine, and then had an accomplish retrieve them from various pharmacies. This offense is further exacerbated by the fact that these false scripts were written out for some of the most vulnerable individuals in our society e.g. convicts.
Could this happen in any other field of health care?
Perhaps.
But the fact remains that these things seem to happen more frequently in our field than other fields of health care.
Are the standards for mental health care lower? Is there less regulation for these kinds of facilities? Could it be that there is still stigma in the community, and that is reflected in this lack of oversight?
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2 comments:
Hi..
You said: Could it be that there is still stigma in the community..
That's unfortunately a given.. And it will in some part continue until entities even as basic as our news media resources start treating PWMIs (persons with mental illness) as the people they are.. Where media [bias] goes, so often goeth societal views..
That things like this happen as much as they do in the mental health care field is because we are speaking of care given to an unbelievably vulnerable population of health care seekers..
Because stigma continues to be alive and well in our Time, those seeking MH care soooo often wait until the ultimately worse of last moments before reaching out to this particular profession.. The vulnerable finally do reach out to their chosen professional's office because they have absolutely reached their very last straw in personal coping mechanisms, just for starters, say..
Sooo often all possible defense mechanisms are focused wholly literally on just staying alive from one moment to the next.. There is nothing left in reserve for protection against [human rights] violation..
Stigma again, PWMIs are also so often totally alone in this World.. Someone who is now vulnerable and thus in some way off their mark of fending for themselves is now additionally without another to intercede in their stead..
An actively involved (but sometimes difficult to establish) circle of support might have otherwise protected them from that of which you type by way of being cognizant of and capable of accountable follow through on possible abuse, neglect, or case mismanagement such as that of which you type, two cases that are just the very, very, very tip of the iceberg going on this very second as you read this..
Thank you so much for a very pro-active feeling blog out here.. Adding it to my must-come-backs to visit.. :)
Cyber hugs from Talking Rock, Georgia..
Yupps.
You said it. We are often serving people at their most vulnerable. They have no energy left to watch out for harm from those supposed to shelter them.
Hopefully, the stronger the user movement gets, the less this will happen.
Hopefully...
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