Reader-Visitor Comments II

I am very  appreciative of each and every person willing to add their voice to the evolution of this blog, The Arizona State Hospital and Patient Abuse . Appearances identified as Anonymous are absolutely no problem, and I care not if my sentiments are consistent with anyone else's views; happily, I can state that the vast majority of comments posted are very much in support of my concerns, as well as agreeable to the veracity of all presented evidence, to date. But in terms of accepting any input whatsoever with open arms, I will just add that I am in an ongoing learning (educational) process, one which began early on in my total 21 months of residential treatment in the Arizona public mental health care system, and I am more than willing to accept any reasonably experienced and/or legitimate line of feedback as I proceed on this particular course in my life. Even nay-sayers can add to the fundamental information that this blog is designed to establish, in all senses. The value of such feedback is priceless, in my learned opinion. As follows:

   "You have too much time on your hands… Why don't you get a job… Stop filching from the mental health system… You shouldn't  be writing… If you aren't mentally ill… They (ASH) must have helped you if you no longer want to take your life…."  (identified as anonymous)

Obviously, as evidenced in the adobe statements that were posted to this blog about one week go, not each and every submitted bit of visitor commentary submitted to this blog has been 100% positive (only about, oh, 98% or so, and ain't life a bitch, indeed). Specifically, I have in recent weeks been contacted by a person who has defended the substandard conditions at ASH by a person (r persons) unwilling to identify themselves, challenging/attacking my expressions, statements, tone of voice, and even my character. And I have no problem with that, especially when I consider that this person is unable to present any verifiable evidence in contradiction to the vast store of data now available in this blog, or via major Phoenix area media (inc. but not limited to: JJ Hensley of the AZ Republic newspaper; AZFamily/Ch 12; the city of the city's ABC affiliate news station Ch15), and even  Cory Nelson's website "crazycorycorner.weebly.com) or any number of other like sources of valid data that have emerged over the last 24 or more months. Now, as expressed in my introductory statement (above), I definitely welcome all submitted commentary, including those offered under a moniker of "Anonymous". The value of all such feedback, positive or not, does directly serve the ongoing body of evidence that I am including in all aspects of my ongoing research, writing, and publishing of my concerns and related awarenesses specific to the how and whys underlying the endemically substandard conditions at ASH, as they do stand today. For herein lies a broadening body of public sentiment that has everything to do with both the historically proven shortfalls in American society that underlie continuing/insidious discrimination against any person affected by serious mental illness and related disability; as well as the far more crucial presence today of Americans (and beyond, as per my collected commentary, to date) who share my learned concern about the fact that at places like ASH, clinical as well as administrative staff are willing to ignore established law and policy across the board, simply and undeniably on the basis of the related fact that each and every ASH patient is disabled by the acute impacts of serious mental illness.  

As to this most recent "anonymous" commentator, I offer the following:

(A) I do work today, always have; and I can legitimately claim that my work ethic is sound. Anyone who knows me is aware of this. I am 52 years old, and as such, have been a taxpaying American citizen for all but 24 or so months of my adult life. Those 24 months represent that period of my adult life wherein I was affected by the worst impacts of my diagnosed mental illness, including hospitalization at ASH, etc. Outside of that period of time, I have worked since I was 16 years old, never under the table or otherwise in violation of employment law, with no unemployment claims, worker's disability claims, and so on. How about you?

(B) The mental health services thus far provided to me as a taxpaying citizen affected by serious mental illness are supported by state and federal funding that public taxation programs (including income taxes, sales taxes, etc.), and any claims to the effect that I am "leeching" off the public mental health care system are patently inaccurate to the nth degree. Believe whatever you wish, for this the United States, after all, and I don't really give a shit.

(C ) I also voluntarily maintain this blog, by utilizing my educational and formal professional  experience; which does not take nearly so much time and energy as it may appear; not so much time and energy, that is, if you have the requisite education and research and writing experience that someone like myself has. This is not a big deal, either, or a claim of bravado- this is merely the territory that comes via legitimate academic training. As such, I have many associates- past and present- who share my body of acquired skill and underlying  training. I encourage anybody to seek out and accrue such education and related experience. If you are up to it, and/or have have what it takes. And just to add, I am a GED based former college student who earned full academic scholarship support after only one full semester in college at the age of 28 (straight A's, baby, UNM 1993); achievement based scholarship support that continued throughout my full education, right up through law school (University of Arizona, 2001-2003). My work today does include writing, and the pending publication of a manuscript that is based on this blog. Eat your heart out, Bozo.

(D) As to my concerns about the ineptitude of ASH staff such as Laxman Patel: Yes, I have a grudge of sorts, but I know it for what it is, and I am not ashamed, insecure, or otherwise confused about the need to expose what I witnessed and experienced as an ASH patient. I fully intend to keep coming at these Rat Bastards with all/any resources that I have access to, including and foremost my own capabilities as an experienced researcher and writer, including in  relation to my legal education. I do so because of the simple fact that this is the only way to attain meaningful oversight and accountability that all ASH staff are due, this given the simple fact that each and every ASH patient is seriously mentally ill, disabled, vulnerable to negligence, exploitation, and abuse. As per the letter of law. Herein, I might as well ask: How familiar are you with the Arizona Administrative Code (Title 9, Ch. 21), or the Americans With Disabilities Act, or even ASH's own administrative rules and policies?

(E) As to my most personal feelings about these people (Patel and the rest), it is not as though I put any of them on pedestals, or believe that such nincompoops are anything more or less than human, in fact. The fact is, ineptitude arises everywhere and in virtually all professions, but only in places like ASH are such dynamics so directly harmful to persons deserving nothing short of reasonable mental-medical health care, as established by common standards, ethics, and basic civility. For this reason and this reason alone, I refuse to ignore what I know about ASH, in every sense of the idea.   

(F) Likewise- and this is important:  Since day one of this blog's existence, I have made sure to clarify that there are more than a few well intentioned/qualified staff at ASH, each of whom effectively do whatever they can in order to serve the needs of ASH patients. But these good people are a minority, some of whom have been willing to risk their job security in order to cooperate with Phoenix media, such as JJ Hensley of the AZ Republic newspaper, AZFamily/Ch 12, and the city of the city's ABC affiliate news station Ch15; media professionals who have in recent months exposed a range of very egregious administrative misconduct that has put all ASH staff at very real risk of physical injury, as well job security. While hospitalized at ASH, Jan. 2011-Feb. 2012, I did as a matter of fact come to know and even befriend several such good staff at ASH, and as I have stated relatedly in this blog to date, they know exactly who they are: Angels in the desert.  Over the long months of writing this blog, I have been contacted by a total of seven (7) such individuals, each of whom recognize the merits of my writing to date, while also possessing no bad faith intentions in terms of be willing to express their concerns, as they stand. I would love to mention each and every one of them by name, but I know that this would very likely put them in direct risk of retaliation, and that they rely on my willingness to defend their interests just as much as I do those of my former patient-peers at ASH. In this sense, things on my side of the fence are just fine in terms of recognizing the most horrific realities at ASH, and I am for from alone. I somewhat pity those ASH staff who are due direct oversight at this time. But all of you have it coming. Bottom line. 

AND: As to this person's statements that suggest I am not affected serious mental illness: Who is to say that I am not affected even today by suicidal ideation? As though you, Johnny Anonymous, have anything approaching clinical background, education, and so on, by which to declare such a statement. You judge my expressions as grudge based- while you in fact bitch and complain about what I am doing, without presenting an iota of data that can challenge the veracity of my allegations, to date. Including in the context of assuming I am not affected by mental illness, in fact. 

MORON.

The fact is, major depressive disorder and any possibly associated traits (including suicidal ideation) manifests in degrees of acuity. I have been affected by major depression since I was a preadolescent (it is a chronic disease, in fact), and my diagnosis and related history in the context is not unusual. Today I attend one group and one individual therapy session per week, and it is all about the fact I am chronically affected by a well recognized form of serious mental illness. Today, through a regimen of antidepressant drug therapy, and not as a consequence of the conditions at ASH, I am less acutely experiencing the worst impacts major depression, including the presence/affects of suicidal thinking (most specifically in the sense of intent). Just because I am able to write a decent paragraph (or whatever), do not think for a moment that I don't struggle today with some degree of major depression, and so on. And as well- just because I am affected by mental illness, don't think for a moment that I am incapable of possessing a work ethic. For to do so, such thinking only illustrates some of my deepest concenrs about public ignorance and related discriminations against person such as I, which only furthers the insidious presence of associated stigma that has been most detrimental to the mentally ill, in general. All of it, 100% on point with the atrocious misbehavior of the majority of staff at The Arizona State Hospital, senior clinical staff and administrators alike.

   

IN CLOSING: I will say it again. All direct feedback offered to my blog are more than welcome, including the comments posted by this most recent critic. But I still find it… Odd. For not only is this person unwilling to identify him/herself, they are further willing to defend the clearly inept misconduct of those ASH staff who are today known to be out of whack with law, policy, medical ethos and related standards (e.g. Laxman Patel, and any number of other ASH staff, at all levels of employ). Likewise, in spite of not knowing the first thing about me when it comes to my personal history and present, this person feels that there is utility in attacking my character. Given these unusual dynamics, including the fact that this person has yet to cite anything outside of basic opinion (sans anything resembling well founded evidence that proves my claims to be false, in fact), I am willing to declare this critic as a chicken shit, of a sort. 

At least, in my case, I have nothing to hide. 

And trust me, oh reader(s): If there was any lack of truth to my strongest claims, I would have been sued by now, or outright charged under criminal law. But anybody seeking to see me charged (e.g. under slander, unlawful defamation of character, etc.) or otherwise held accountable on a basis of me being guilty of lying in such context needs as a matter of law to prove that my claims are false, in fact.

And these people can't. Bottom line. 

paoloreed@gmail.com