“The Doctor’ and his whole team…swooped down, lifted me high into the air, and slammed me down on a metal bed with such force that I saw stars.”- Elyn Saks
As Elyn Saks, Associate Dean and Professor of Law at the University of Southern California Gould Law School described the schizophrenic mind, she recounts her own lifelong struggle with the illness. During her recounting, Saks touches upon a variety of topics, including the treatment of people with schizophrenia during psychotic episodes and their subsequent recoveries.
“The next morning I went to my professor’s office… and I began gibbering unintelligibly as I had the night before, and he eventually brought me to the emergency room. Once there, someone I’ll just call ‘The Doctor’ and his whole team of goons swooped down, lifted me high into the air, and slammed me down on a metal bed with such force that I saw stars. Then they strapped my legs and arms to the metal bed with thick leather straps. A sound came out of my mouth that I’d never heard before: half groan, half scream, barely human and pure terror. Then the sound came again, forced from somewhere deep inside my belly and scraping my throat raw.”
Saks continues to describe her treatment through restraints, mentioning spending up to 20 hours a day for several days strapped to a bed despite never having hurt or threatened to hurt anyone (Saks). Building upon her ordeal within the hospital, Saks mentions a conversation with a law professor, where he claimed that people with mental illness aren’t like him or Elyn and do not experience the same fear and emotion as they would if being restrained—not realizing that Elyn Saks herself suffered from schizophrenia. This encounter acts as a portrayal of the severe misunderstanding that some people have about mental illness and the methodology behind treating people with it.
Elyn Saks is not alone in her encounter with schizophrenia. Saks claims that 1 to 3 people die every week. As a matter of fact, up to 150 people dying every year (McCue, et al, 2004). Restraints are meant to be used when a patient presents an extreme physical risk towards others or themselves, but is often used for the convenience of supervisors in mental institutions. Medical restraints are often implemented when minor nuisances arise- such as shouting or not complying with orders of physicians or employees. This can be seen in the case of 31 year old Peter Minich who was restrained and kept in isolation for prolonged periods of time and subsequently deprived of 6,300 hours of human contact and exercise since January 2013 ( Associated Press, 2014).
Multiple forms of treatment exist for mental illnesses such as schizophrenia. From antipsychotic medication, to rehabilitation, and psychosocial therapy can often effectively treat several symptoms of schizophrenia—such as hallucinations and delusions (NIMH) . However, all too often treatment such as heavy medical restraints are used unnecessarily. Risking physical injury and exacerbating emotional and mental distress, the use of medical restraints is a testament to the fact that not all treatment is benign.
References:
1) Associated Press. March 31st, 2014. Massachusetts mom sues to get adult son with paranoid schizophrenia out of restraints. Retrieved on April 30th, 2014. http://www.masslive.com/news/boston/index.ssf/2014/03/massachusetts_mom_sues_to_get.html
2) Schizophrenia. The National Institute of Mental Health (http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/schizophrenia/index.shtml? utm_source=publish2&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=www.kpbs.org). Retrieved April 30th, 2014.
3) Elyn Saks. A tale of mental illness—from the inside.(http://www.ted.com/talks/elyn_saks_seeing_mental_illness/transcript#t- 466611.) Retrieved April 30th, 2014.