Crosspost from mental health forum

[otherlander]

Hi, I'm otherlander. I'm 17 and I've been diagnosed with Asperger's. Earlier this year, after weeks of being unable to function in mainstream school due to panic attacks, I was sent to finish out my senior year at an alternate school, which is where I met my current boyfriend and best friend. I finally graduated and will be going to college next year.

I've been in the juvenile psych ward several times. My best friend, being 19, has just been sent to the adult ward of a hospital where I was previously locked up. I can't say anything about the adult ward, but I know that the juvenile ward of the same hospital mistreats its patients. A couple of months ago I posted an essay/rant about my personal experiences there.
I'm worried about what might be done to her there.

It's tempting to just focus on the tangible examples of mistreatment, the punitive nature of the system under the thin veneer of treatment, but that would ignore the larger issue of the ethics of involuntary treatment itself. I am of the opinion that people are best able to determine for themselves what kind of help they need, and that a psychological model that let the patient lead rather than be coerced would be best. I envision an institution based on this model, a sort of Escuela Moderna of psychology, if you will.

Well, we're a group of smart, liberal, politically conscious people, right? And isn't mental health a political issue? And don't we in this forum have first-hand experience? Are we up to taking the liberal position on that issue, then, and defending the autonomy of ourselves, each other, and all who have been labeled mentally ill? I should mention that I am vehemently anti-NAMI, because NAMI is strongly pro-involuntary treatment. I don't know if that will make me unpopular around here, but whatever. It's my stance and I'm not changing it.

If anyone wants to, I would like this thread to be a safe, stigma-free place to share the experiences that we've had with the mental health system. I'll go first if you want; here's my rant:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=3268189