I’ve got a friend on Facebook who tells me he’s been forced to take meds
now who can force a grown man to take meds if he doesn’t want them?
he says, the doctor and hospital have done it, so someone must have committed him.
I remember a woman in the psych ward into New Age stuff, she refused to take meds, and that meant she might be in there for months, or even a year.
I can see how this friend of mine, he decided to cooperate.
I’m forced to take meds. If I don’t take the shot the police and ambulance show up at my house.
Remember in the Soloist, he was homeless and people helped him
get into housing, but he refused to take meds, and everybody obliged, reluctantly.
that may have been not the way it is for most people with sz.
When I was in my twenties. I was told if I didn’t take the shot. They would have me committed to the state hospital.
I guess the best intention is to save a life
but even my mother said last year, I didn’t know if you were still taking your meds.
I think she may have thought I’d just outgrow it.
Only with the recommendation of a psychiatrist can a schizophrenic come off their anti-psychotic medication. The psychiatrist assesses the schizophrenic patient’s overall mental, social, occupational and other dynamics to decide if medication should continue or not.
My mom said that if I don’t take my meds then she will take me to the hospital. I HATE the hospital. I have no interest in going back there, so I will just take me meds for now, even though sometimes I think I shouldn’t.
There are three steps in committing a patient (at least in my province).
Any physician can write a Physician’s Emergency Certificate (PEC) which is good for up to 72 hours. The patient will likely be restrained and medication can be given orally, IV or IM. Next the Coroners office sends a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist determines if the patient is a risk to himself, others or is gravely disabled (incapable of caring for himself). If he finds this, he issues a coroner’s emergency certificate. The patient has probably been transferred to an inpatient locked psychiatric ward. The CEC is good for 15 days and then it is bumped to the court level.
There are multiple routes to administer medication. Once the patient is no longer a risk and can take care of himself he is released. At that point he can take or not take his medication. There are patients who bounce in and out of mental hospitals.
These decisions are re-evaluated on a regular basis. The PEC which may have been issued because the patient was high on cocaine may be withdrawn the next day when he is not high. The police are contacted if there was a police hold.
Source(s): My professor, he’s a medicinal chemist.
If you are not aware that people can be forcibly drugged, including in the community, then you don’t have much knowledge on the matter.
@Sheryl can you atleast switch meds if you want?
@Sheryl - are you in the US or somewhere else if you don’t mind me asking?
In my first psyche ward at age 19 I refused to take meds and they subtly hinted that if I didn’t take them then they would ask me to leave.
I took them because I needed to be there.
That is one scenario.
that’s not reality though
many with sz quit taking their meds on their own
many of here have, including me,
and it’s a hard lesson we learned
I take meds because my doctor gave me. Not voluntary or mandatory, somewhere in the middle i think.
what if the person doesn’t believe they have schizophrenia
and its a false label to silent a dissident
nobody is forcing me to take meds, I got help on my own.
It’s mandatory. Sometimes i think differently. I don’t accept totally. But, yeah, it’s mandatory.
I know of several people on Facebook
who are hearing voices, and other symptoms
and they’re not taking meds, and I don’t know if they ever have
I’m not sure why they’re not forced to, but they’re not.
It’s voluntary for me to take meds but i feel it’s mandatory as well for me to take them, otherwise i turn funny
For me it’s voluntary, but I have heard situations where it is mandatory.
That’s why I’m on an injection and I prefer the injection since there are fewer to no side effects. I’ve never missed and injection depot since I’ve started.