- Target:
- US Congress
- Region:
- United States of America
Our son Shawn committed suicide after being released from a Behavioral Science Unit where he was held for only eight days. We knew he was not well enough to be released and tried twice daily to communicate with his doctor during his entire stay in the facility. The doctor never returned our calls.
Four days after being released he called his doctor and told her that he needed help and went back to the hospital. After she spoke to him for a short time she released him to come home again. He shot himself the next day.
If the doctor had just spoken with us one time we believe Shawn would still be alive. Shawn had signed the papers allowing the Dr. to speak with us. But she never did.
There is currently no law that requires mental health doctors/clinicians and practitioners to communicate with the the third party that a hospitalized patient signs a release form giving them permission to do so with.
This law would hold the medical professionals accountable if they failed to communicate with the authorized persons. It is our hope that through this law the mental health professionals will have to communicate with the caregivers that the patient will be returning to. Hopefully preventing another case like ours from happening.
We the undersigned agree that definite improvement would be made to mental health risk assessment with the implantation of a law that would require the doctors/practioners/clinicians to communicate with the third party that the patient signs a release of information form for.
It is our belief that the people closest to the patient can provide the above with valuable information allowing them to be better able to provide the proper assessment, treatment and follow up care.
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter.
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