Waiting 76 Days For A Psych Bed: A Dwindling Supply Forces Families To Wait Days In Hallways

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Overcrowded hospitals. Patients on gurneys in hallways

(10-24-22) How long must you wait to get a loved one into a psych bed in your community?

The last time that I checked, the average wait time nationally in a hospital emergency room for a NON-LIFE threatening emergency was four hours. The average wait time for a psychiatric problem was FOUR DAYS.

We all know why. It started with the closing of state mental hospitals and got worse with little funding for community services. Hospitals traditionally lose money on psych beds. They make much more of surgical and other beds. So hospitals began shutting down they psychiatric wards. Many ERs are reluctant to accept patients in the midst of a psychiatric crisis. The requirement of immediate danger gives some hospitals an excuse for turning folks away. Those with the most serious illnesses – schizophrenia – are the quickest to be shown the doors.

My former employer, The Washington Post, published an example of what is happening today because of our dwindling supply of psychiatric beds.  Thank you Reporter William Wan for educating the public about this travesty.

An autistic teen needed mental health help. He spent weeks in an ER instead.

Zach Chafos languished for a total of 76 days in a Maryland ER waiting for a psychiatric bed — part of a growing mental health treatment crisis for teens across the country

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Reprinted from The Washington Post.

By his fourth week waiting for help in the emergency room, Zachary Chafos’s skin had turned pale white from lack of sun.

His mother, Cheryl Chafos, bathed her autistic teenage son daily in the ER’s shower, trying to scrub the sickly pallor off him. His father, Tim Chafos, held the 18-year-old’s hand, trying to soothe his son’s pain and confusion over what was happening.

They’d brought Zach to Howard County General Hospital on Nov. 12, 2020, amid a severe mental crisis. All his life, he’d been the joyful center of their family. But after months of pandemic isolation, Zach had become uncontrollably angry and begun physically assaulting his parents and his younger brothers.

Zach with his mother Cheryl and his two younger brothers Christopher, 8 and Anthony, 12, on April 21, 2021 (Family photo) (Family photo)

Now he and his parents found themselves in medical purgatory, waiting for psychiatric treatment that never seemed to arrive. Every day, Zach’s case manager in the ER would call to see if a psychiatric bed had opened up. Every day, the answer was no.

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In Book Review, Dr. E. Fuller Torrey Chastises Former NIMH Head Dr. Thomas Insel: His Blindspot Is Part Of Our Problem

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(10-21-22) Dr. E. Fuller Torrey has been a long-time critic of the National Institute of Mental Health and in this review of former NIMH Director Thomas Insel’s recent book, Dr. Torrey chastises NIMH leaders for not funding clinical research that would evaluate the effectiveness of such programs as community clubhouses. Earlier this year, I posted a favorable review of  Healing: Our Path from Mental Illness to Mental Health . Dr. Torrey’s critical review appeared in Psychiatric Times. 

The Uphill Path to Mental Health: A Book Review By E. Fuller Torrey, MD.

In this review of Thomas Insel’s book, one doctor analyzes the uphill path from mental illness to mental health.

Healing: Our Path from Mental Illness to Mental Health

by Thomas Insel, MD; Penguin Press, 2022

Thomas Insel, MD, gets several important things right in his book, Healing: Our Path from Mental Illness to Mental Health. He is right that the public mental illness treatment system in the US is a mess and inferior to most western European countries. He is right that we know what to do, but do not use what we know very well.

But he is wrong about one important issue—the role of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Dr Insel means well and would like to be part of the solution. Unfortunately, because of his blind spot, he continues instead to be part of the problem.

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Violence & Mental Illness: An Unlikely Pair Tell Their Stories To Help Others

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Vince with his mother, Dr. Claudia Granata, before her murder.

(10-18-22) Individuals with mental illnesses are more likely to be victims of crimes, rather than perpetrators. But a small percentage commit violent crimes and, what too often goes unnoticed, is that much of this violence is aimed at their own family members and caregivers.

A study published in the Clinical Social Work Journal noted that family violence has increased during the Covid crisis.

“Although most persons living with serious mental illness (SMI) do not act violently, this population is at a modestly increased risk of engaging in violence, with family members being the most common victims. Consequently, evidence suggests that a sizable minority of family members—many of whom are caregivers—have experienced violence by their relative with SMI. The risk of conflict and violence in families of persons with SMI is likely currently heightened due to a range of challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., interruption in treatment services and the occurrence of arguments while sheltering in place together).”

Two men whose lives were dramatically changed by family violence recently contacted me. Though their friendship may seem unlikely (because they come from different vantage points), they are now speaking out to help others and to push for treatment before tragedy.

Mother Is Murdered

“My family’s story is a tragic one,” Vince Granata told me in an email. “My little brother, Tim, began struggling with schizophrenia. At nineteen, away from home at college, his world transformed. He became convinced that his landlord was poisoning his food, that one of his classmates wore a necklace that was a demonic amulet, that shadows chased him across campus. Over the next three years, Tim struggled to find support and received only intermittent help from his college’s counseling services. Eventually, he returned home to our mother’s care.”

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Why Aren’t More Fathers Involved In Advocacy? I’m Asked In Podcast With 3 Mothers In The Trenches

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(10-7-22) Three moms with sons who have schizophrenia question me during this podcast about such subjects as the new 988 number, being a dad in the trenches as opposed to being a mom, and NAMI’s “Big Tent” approach to mental illnesses. They remind me that not everyone with a serious mental illness gets better – rather there are good days with good memories and bad ones.

We must savor the good memories.

Three Moms in the Trenches is a thoughtful podcast created by Randye Kaye, author of Ben Behind His Voices: One Family’s Journey From the Chaos of Schizophrenia To Hope, along with Miriam Feldman, author of He Came With It: A Portrait of Motherhood and Madness, and Mindy Greiling, author of Fix What You Can: Schizophrenia and a Lawmakers Fight for Her Son.  

All three of these accomplished authors are veteran mental health advocates. Check out their joint podcast and their individual books which describe their journeys with an adult child with a serious mental illness.

Show Information Posted on Podcast.

Pete Earley is a storyteller whose books include four New York Times bestsellers, likeThe Hot House and the 2007 Pulitzer Prize finalist Crazy: A Father’s Search Through America’s Mental Health Madness.His years as an investigative journalist include six years at The Washington Post. Pete is a tireless advocate for mental health system reform.

Many listeners ask: What about the Dads? Pete Earley knows. He was most recently seen on the PBS documentary “Hiding in Plain Sight” with his son Kevin Mike Earley.

In today’s episode we hear their family story, and many thoughts on what we’d like to change about the system – including NAMI. 

Additional information/links from Three Moms In Trenches

The Lifeline and 988 – https://988lifeline.org/current-events/the-lifeline-and-988/

NPR 988 story: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/07/15/1111316589/988-suicide-hotline-number.

Want us to cover a topic? comment to share?

Facebook page @Schizophrenia3Moms   @SZ3MomsTrenches –  twitter

Randye Kaye -Broadcaster, Actress, Voice Talent, Speaker, and Author (“Ben Behind his Voices”, “Happier Made Simple”)

Miriam Feldman – Artist, Mom, Author “He Came in With It”

Mindy Greiling – member of the Minnesota House of Representatives for twenty years. Activist, Legislator, Author (“Fix What You Can“)

Stuck In Revolving Hospital Door: Margalea Warner Found 27 Keys That Helped Her Handle Schizophrenia

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Keys marking each year of stability. (Photo courtesy of Pixabay)

(10-3-22) Margalea Warner writes about her journey from being repeatedly hospitalized because of schizophrenia to her recovery today. To help others, she identified 27 “keys” that helped her. I’m delighted to share her story with you. 

I Found 27 Keys To Better Mental Health: You Can Find Yours

By Margalea Warner

The heaviness of my sigh matched the weight of the steel door that locked behind me with a loud clunk.

I hadn’t committed a crime and I wasn’t in jail.  I was in a locked hospital psychiatric ward because I had a brain disorder called schizophrenia.  The hospital wasn’t a terrible place to be.  Unlike in the hellish insane asylums half a century ago, patients weren’t restrained with straightjackets.  The awful practice of lobotomy had long since been discarded.  This hospital was renowned for evidence-based medical treatment.  There was a sunny day room.  Eating with other patients in the dining room helped things feel a little more normal.

Except I didn’t want to be here.  Again.

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“Lack Of Insight” Explained In Podcast Interview By Advocate Gabe Howard

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Advocate and podcaster, Gabe Howard.

(9-27-22) Fellow advocate and a good friend of this blog, Gabe Howard, contacted me after reading my post about anosognosia, which some claim isn’t real. He wrote:

“I know the world is fascinated with anosognosia right now and my podcast, Inside Bipolar (from Healthline Media), covered it. As you know, I handle discussions like this with a little humor and by doing my best to see both sides. This podcast is hosted by me (lives with bipolar) and Dr. Nicole Washington (board certified psychiatrist) discussing the pros and cons (and a little history). “

About the author: Gabe is an award-winning speaker, author, and podcast host who lives with bipolar disorder. He’s the host of the #1 educational mental health podcast, Inside Mental Health, for Healthline Media, and the author of Mental Illness Is an Asshole.