Shock Treament battle (Again)

Ok, just a brief post more info later. Sue hasn't been well lately. She isn't toileting, she isn't talking, she has very strange hand movement, and a gaiety walk and she seems to have some hallucination happening as well. As she appears to be seeing stuff that isn't there, she gets a fixed look on an empty room. This has been going on for about 5 months. I have seen here go through this twice before, the last time they gave her ECt (shock treatment) and it impaired her ability to function in the world and her ability to learn new skills.

Yesterday she was sent to James Fletcher by her Dr at Kanangra Dr. Fraser to be assessed for more shock treatment. In my conversations with Eric he has told me he's not overly concerned about what the shock treatment will do to her functionality he's more concerned about her well being now. He said she is at the maximum amount of anti depressants and mood stabiliser that she can tolerate. I said to him doesn't that kind of give weight to my opinion on what is wrong with Sue at the moment and that she is angry and has shut down, that she isn't depressed. He said that it is more of an indication of sever depression. We disagree on this. I think Sue got really mad and just shut down. You don't treat anger with ECT.

Anyway she's been assessed by a Dr Kim Newnham at James Fletcher and apparently the request for shock treatment goes in to hearing today. I've left two messages for Dr. Newnham to call me prior to her assessment of Sue but she has not returned my calls. She did ask a nurse Sujatha to call me and let me know that Sue was being assessed as needing shock treatment. Coward, also it could be viewed as excluding the one person who is opposed to the treatment plan, after all that's how they got to give her shock treatment before buy not letting me know about the hearings at the Mental Health Tribunal. It seems James Fletcher maintains a policy of excluding those opposed to their plans.

So this morning i have to ring the Mental Health Tribunal to find out what time the hearing is so i can put my views across. fingers crossed i can get the information i need.

Also just a side note i found it a little disturbing that on the answering machine at the Metal Health Tribunal that they have as part of their message info on what to do for "Emergency shock treatment orders" outside of business hours of the tribunal. I don't understand how ECT could be an emergency situation. Surely it can wait till the morning and the hearing process. It's scary. Just plain scary what is happening to people with mental health disorders.