I have written about my abuse in mental health services before. I have finally complained to the office of Civil Rights about my experiences in restraints. No, I never threatened to hit, spit, or escape. The EMT men just didn’t like the wild look in my eyes and my constant fidgeting and looking around so they tied me up and ignored my pleas for mercy. The following is a brief description of what I am referring to about abuse of restraints and I will link to the webpage of the Civil rights office complaint form. Also, Elyn R. Saks has done numerous studies and written academic articles on the unconstitutionality of forcible restraints on non-violent mental patients. Here is that book by Dr. Saks, called Refusing Care: Forced Treatment and the Rights of the Mentally Ill.
http://www.amazon.com/Refusing-Care-Forced-Treatment-Mentally/dp/0226733971/ref=la_B001IXMIUS_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1429795283&sr=1-2
*triggering descriptions of mental health service experiences below*
I have had to complain about the misuse of restraints years, years after it happened because I have panic attacks and migraines whenever I even think about it, let alone try to take action against it.
I was consistently restrained on every ambulance ride despite my complete lack of violent tendencies, lack of history of violence, no physical or verbal threats to the police or EMTs, and being as calm as one can be while thinking that shady agencies are coming to kill me and my family. Every time I cannot help but beg them to not restrain me, or at the very least, put me in hand-cuffs and take me to the emergency room in the back of a police car, where the ankle and waist leather restraints would not be used. EMT’s refused, they put their hands on my chest, pushed me flat against the stretcher, and began the restraining process. What could I do? Fight? They outweighed me, they outnumbered me, they were normal, respectful citizens and I was just a schizophrenic. So I just pleaded. They shook their heads, no. What are EMTs thinking, I wondered? Am I not a human being, do they think of me as a felon? I have no history of criminal activity, why are they putting me in leather restraints? I was just going to sit on the stretcher and play with the hem of my skirt, now I am scared and traumatized, what if there is an accident and I need to get out? Panic attacks are common while being restrained. There is no sense of safety, there is only imminent death, a helpless victim strapped down, disrespected, dehumanized, shed of all constitutional rights….
I suffered nightmares, flashblacks, panic attacks, and well, weird sexual fetishes due to being forcibly restrained for long periods of travel by male EMT’s, and by that I mean I now own a pair of fabric restraints to try to “own” the experience of being splayed out and restrained on a stretcher by a group of grown men. Imagine 50 shades of gray, but the real thing, not some suburban mistress dreaming of romanticized abuse: real, genuine bondage, non-consensual, a group of men standing around as you test how much mobility you have (none except fingers and head), observing you as a thing, perhaps not a vapid sexual object like in 50 shades, but definitely like a shell of a human, no mind, just a body that gets to be touched, pushed, poked, pulled, at the will of whoever is nearby. If that sounds revolting, that is how it felt and still feels.
My body became an object, an abnormal and unwanted object, same as my mind, that the EMT’s could posture, poke, and tie up however they wanted to. This is the human face of the body restrained to that stretcher. Yeah, I was crazy. Yeah, I heard voices and I giggled to myself in between moments of shaking with fear; my behavior made no sense to outsiders, but I was still conscious, still a citizen of the United States. I am now really, really afraid of EMT’s, ambulances, ambulance sirens, any period of longer than one hour of sitting motionless in front of a computer screen (reminds me of being stuck in the same place in restraints). The end point is that I just sat there, innocent. The EMT’s used force against a passive patient. Then, oh then, to make things burn---American Ambulance (the ambulance company who was responsible for tying me up every time I got 5150’d) charged me 1200 dollars MORE for “emergency” rides, which is a quaint euphemism for “use of restraints.” The normal cost of an ambulance ride without restraints is around 487 dollars, which is what I got charged a year after the 1600 dollar ambulance ride. So, ride #1, restrained against the will of the constitution: 1600 dollars, due now. Ride #2, not restrained: 487 dollars. Is it just me or is that the most perverted thing ever? I contacted my city's American Ambulance via telephone and email and they said, indeed, one ride had "emergency services" the other did not. I also had proof of this price gauging because of the fact that American Ambulance is trying to get 2000 dollars out of me through collections for outdated debts on medical expenses I was too poor to pay for at the time (it's about 6 years later but that is never too late to go collect debts! *also not too late to report your unlawful use of restraints*
Here is that government agency in charge of civil rights:
http://www.amazon.com/Refusing-Care-Forced-Treatment-Mentally/dp/0226733971/ref=la_B001IXMIUS_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1429795283&sr=1-2
*triggering descriptions of mental health service experiences below*
I have had to complain about the misuse of restraints years, years after it happened because I have panic attacks and migraines whenever I even think about it, let alone try to take action against it.
I was consistently restrained on every ambulance ride despite my complete lack of violent tendencies, lack of history of violence, no physical or verbal threats to the police or EMTs, and being as calm as one can be while thinking that shady agencies are coming to kill me and my family. Every time I cannot help but beg them to not restrain me, or at the very least, put me in hand-cuffs and take me to the emergency room in the back of a police car, where the ankle and waist leather restraints would not be used. EMT’s refused, they put their hands on my chest, pushed me flat against the stretcher, and began the restraining process. What could I do? Fight? They outweighed me, they outnumbered me, they were normal, respectful citizens and I was just a schizophrenic. So I just pleaded. They shook their heads, no. What are EMTs thinking, I wondered? Am I not a human being, do they think of me as a felon? I have no history of criminal activity, why are they putting me in leather restraints? I was just going to sit on the stretcher and play with the hem of my skirt, now I am scared and traumatized, what if there is an accident and I need to get out? Panic attacks are common while being restrained. There is no sense of safety, there is only imminent death, a helpless victim strapped down, disrespected, dehumanized, shed of all constitutional rights….
I suffered nightmares, flashblacks, panic attacks, and well, weird sexual fetishes due to being forcibly restrained for long periods of travel by male EMT’s, and by that I mean I now own a pair of fabric restraints to try to “own” the experience of being splayed out and restrained on a stretcher by a group of grown men. Imagine 50 shades of gray, but the real thing, not some suburban mistress dreaming of romanticized abuse: real, genuine bondage, non-consensual, a group of men standing around as you test how much mobility you have (none except fingers and head), observing you as a thing, perhaps not a vapid sexual object like in 50 shades, but definitely like a shell of a human, no mind, just a body that gets to be touched, pushed, poked, pulled, at the will of whoever is nearby. If that sounds revolting, that is how it felt and still feels.
My body became an object, an abnormal and unwanted object, same as my mind, that the EMT’s could posture, poke, and tie up however they wanted to. This is the human face of the body restrained to that stretcher. Yeah, I was crazy. Yeah, I heard voices and I giggled to myself in between moments of shaking with fear; my behavior made no sense to outsiders, but I was still conscious, still a citizen of the United States. I am now really, really afraid of EMT’s, ambulances, ambulance sirens, any period of longer than one hour of sitting motionless in front of a computer screen (reminds me of being stuck in the same place in restraints). The end point is that I just sat there, innocent. The EMT’s used force against a passive patient. Then, oh then, to make things burn---American Ambulance (the ambulance company who was responsible for tying me up every time I got 5150’d) charged me 1200 dollars MORE for “emergency” rides, which is a quaint euphemism for “use of restraints.” The normal cost of an ambulance ride without restraints is around 487 dollars, which is what I got charged a year after the 1600 dollar ambulance ride. So, ride #1, restrained against the will of the constitution: 1600 dollars, due now. Ride #2, not restrained: 487 dollars. Is it just me or is that the most perverted thing ever? I contacted my city's American Ambulance via telephone and email and they said, indeed, one ride had "emergency services" the other did not. I also had proof of this price gauging because of the fact that American Ambulance is trying to get 2000 dollars out of me through collections for outdated debts on medical expenses I was too poor to pay for at the time (it's about 6 years later but that is never too late to go collect debts! *also not too late to report your unlawful use of restraints*
Here is that government agency in charge of civil rights:
I will write again once I get a response.
Now that I am stronger and more healthy, I will come back for all those who injure and abuse my kind (schizophrenics/bipolars) and I will do my best to put them on trial or put them out of business. Have a nice day.
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