InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Harry sniffs knickers"

varian graves ; desire (capricieux) wrote in musings,
@ 2010-09-17 09:52:00

Entry tags:

desire, maid marian, sam winchester

filtered to law enforcement and health care professionals
I'd like to request some assistance with a serious issue I'm struggling to deal with. If someone from the police or with connections to mental health facilities could get back to me, I would appreciate it.

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	thatshellfire 2010-09-17 02:55 pm UTC (link)
	I'm a cop. (Reply to this) (Thread)

capricieux
2010-09-17 02:59 pm UTC (link)

I was wondering if you could recommend a course of action to me.

There's this girl. She's an old friend, someone I knew back in musings. She's not...well. She tends to be scattered, difficulty focusing on the here and now, and things seem to have only gotten worse since I saw her last. Now she seems to be taking drugs on top of it. I don't know if she's selling, but the last time I saw her she was clearly under the influence of something, and I know she and her roommate are in dire financial straits. I wouldn't be surprised if she had turned to selling as a way to keep them afloat.

I think she needs to be taken into mental health custody. I don't want her arrested, obviously, but if she's doing things that are so risky...I mean I'm starting to think she needs to be taken somewhere they can help her, before she does something really stupid and gets herself in some real trouble. Her roommate, he cares a lot about her, but he let's everything she does slide. I can't, anymore, I can't keep watching things go the way they're going.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

thatshellfire
2010-09-17 03:22 pm UTC (link)

I sympathize with your situation, I wish there was more that could be done. I will be completely honest, if your friend was caught being under the influence of drugs she would likely be arrested, booked, charged and released after a day or so. At that point a public defender would strike a deal, and due to overcrowding it's unlikely that she'd serve any time at all. If this is your friend's first offense the chances are she would be asked to attend some self help meetings and a random drug test or two.

As for being taken into mental health custody, if she is an adult the chances of her actually being committed are slim to none. The system is broken, I know I'm a part of it, but it is not helpful to people in her situation. If you truly want to help your friend then advise her to seek some help, don't let the roommate get away with turning a blind eye, and do what you can to encourage her to get the help she needs. Believe me, I know that sounds unhelpful and impossible.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	capricieux 2010-09-17 03:27 pm UTC (link)
	~~well you've been approximately no fucking help at all~~ It does. I don't know what to tell you, officer, they're not going to listen to me. They fuel one another - one with his permissiveness, the other with her unwillingness to get help. I am left in a position where nothing can be done. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	capricieux 2010-09-17 03:31 pm UTC (link)
	[a few minutes later] And if she was caught selling? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

thatshellfire
2010-09-17 03:39 pm UTC (link)

She's a non-violent offender, and from what you're telling me it's her first time offense, it wouldn't be hard to keep her out of jail even on an possession with intent to distribute. She doesn't sound like a drug kingpin, she sounds like a small time addict and while it would end up with a mark on her record chances of her getting the help you say she needs are slim.

Jail isn't for drug addicts and crazy people, man. That's what rehab is for. Getting a judge to impose a rehab sentence is next to impossible for a first time offender. You don't want your friend arrested, it amounts to a night or two in jail and a slap on the wrist. The best you could hope for is that she fulfill the terms of her probation (which will likely be attending meetings, getting drug tested etc) and she gets better that way. You already said you didn't want her arrested, the ideal situation for an addict is not to end up in jail.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	capricieux 2010-09-17 03:56 pm UTC (link)
	~~Well you've been no help at all. Seems I'll need to take drastic measures.~~ Thank you. it puts my mind at ease to an extent, knowing she won't be arrested, but I wish someone would get her the kind of help she really needs. I'll have a talk with her, try to encourage her to see someone. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	thatshellfire 2010-09-17 03:58 pm UTC (link)
	Look man, honestly? You can't force the kind of help she really needs on her until she figures out that she needs that help. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	capricieux 2010-09-17 07:41 pm UTC (link)
	~~oh, I'll help her figure out she needs help~~ All I can do is hope that she does. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	notamaid 2010-09-17 04:41 pm UTC (link)
	You wanting what exactly? (Reply to this) (Thread)

	capricieux 2010-09-17 07:40 pm UTC (link)
	I detailed it all in my other comments, the ones above this, but from what it looks like I hardly have any chance at doing anything to help. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

notamaid
2010-09-17 07:47 pm UTC (link)

[After reading]

Mental health order can be gotten in the short term if it's actual crazy you're dealing with but that requires police or a psychiatrist stepping in and saying so. If your friend is endangering themselves or others, take them to the hospital -- psych on call will generally try and do something although most of the time it's a shot of thorazine and overnight obs.

If it's the dealing, then that's police, not health. Otherwise, unless you can dump her in one of those private clinics they use for the Hollywood-types that don't want to go to rehab but have to, you're shit out of luck and so is she. I'm sorry.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	capricieux 2010-09-17 07:58 pm UTC (link)
	~~what is wrong with you people? how hard can it possibly be to get a girl locked up and away from~~ Thank you for the advice, I'll keep it in mind. (Reply to this) (Parent)