"Esther12,
Does anyone know what evidence is being used to justify Brian's treatment?
(While writing this, I noticed that this is not in the 'members' only' section, so I have limited the content of my response.)
Largely, the answer to your question is Brian's inability to care for himself in the community in combination with his persistent ME symptoms that are viewed as evidence of a psychiatric disorder.
I had a copy of Brian’s very large file of medical notes and at one point knew them off by heart as two of us wrote a very detailed document for an appeal.
It is a very complicated story, but the records make it very clear that the psychiatric staff have no knowledge of ME and they made it very clear that they have no wish to learn. Brian’s ME specialist even travelled to the facility where he is held to negotiate on Brian’s behalf. The psychiatrist told Dr BH that he agreed with him that Brian did not have any sign of a psychotic illness at that time and that he intended to release him. (I know this from personal communication with the doctor). The psychiatrist immediately following the doctor’s departure then went to Brian and devastated him by saying that Dr BH agreed that he was mentally ill and that he was going to increase his dose of clozapine and keep him under section. It was almost as though Brian was being punished for his doctor’s intervention. It was a clear attempt to undermine him and was in my opinion very cruel. It was also a lie.
Brian’s ME symptoms are frequently being referenced in his medical notes, including his very pronounced nystagmus (since when has nystagmus been a sign of psychosis?), but they are interpreted as evidence of mental illness and used as supporting evidence that he requires increasing or additional doses of antipsychotics.
Unfortunately, the psychiatrist also wrote to B’s others consultants who were managing his POTS and instructed them to withdraw from his case so the psychiatrist has full control.
There were I’m afraid many irregularities in B’s care, but the system is completely stacked against him and no outside influence has any lasting effect.
Brian does need accommodation where he is supervised and given the assistance and medical care he needs and where his physical illness is also recognised and appropriately treated, and that is most definitely not the place where he has been for the past few years.
