An encounter with a young man who got help.

[nadinbrzezinski]

So we got a call to the police station, for a hand injury. Ok, what could be so bad that the cops called?

When we arrived our patient was in the Commander's office, with three cops in, all with some distance. Alarms start to go off. Cop gives me his ID...active duty member of the military. At the time...let's call him Joe, we were still wearing khaqui and well I had nice gold railroad tracks on my shoulders...So Joe starts by addressing me as Ma'am, for you vets this is a no brainer. I start taking care of hand...which he drove through a window...then he switches to...name-rank-serial number. That's when my internal bells went off. Finally he goes back to Ma'am and then MOTHER... At that point I excused myself, stepped out and the DA and the shift commander were talking.

So the obvious came...can we charge him for damage to property? The local prison psych asked so as a good medic I gave my report.

Nope... Damage was less than 500 anyway, and his hand would requie some major work.

Next came the call to the SP's, as well as medical control. We concluded he was not going to be safest of critters to transport... Orders for chemical restraints came fairly fast. They also included physical restraints.

To make a long story short we took Joe to the psych ward. They fixed his hand, and they gave him the intense treatment he needed. Years later I learned that Joe went to school, became a nurse and these days works with vets. He has the street cred since he had the psychotic incident... so when troops start going over how PTSD ain't that bad...

This is what happens when the system works. The only reason it more or less worked is because Joe came to this crisis as a direct result of his service in the armed forces and... Going crazee in another country. If Joe had been a poor civilian I am positive the result, sadly, would be different.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. This is EXACTLY how it should work.

Well done.

And look at the payoff! Now, he's helping people who are in the same awful place he was...

Your input made a huge difference, and you should be proud.

And don't give me that old "I was just doing my job" bs...your intervention was just what he needed, and when he needed it.

Congrats!

Recommended.

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. I was still doing my job

Sadly too many times people don't or can't.

[katanalori]

2. I gave a rec.............

which put this post at "zero." Why would someone unrec a post about the benefit/outcome of treating the mentally ill?

[toddaa]

4. K&R^2

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

5. Notice that the target of his fury was an inanimate object.

That's what GOOD people break when they go crazy.

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. I know

Trust me he could have done some serious shit.

Also realize for the senior cop this was flashback to Nam.

[Kurovski]

7. K&R. (nt)

[Bigmack]

8. Nope...we can't afford it!...

Gotta scrimp on all that stuff..... otherwise we couldn't have all the really cool ships and subs and planes that go zooooooooom, and guns and all that good shit. Otherwise we couldn't beat up the various brown people we need to teach a lesson.

I want my tax money to pay to make people whole, not blow them apart.

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. Well in this case Joe was broken by all that same shit

Suffice it to say there were good reasons for that.

Now yes one reason this economy ain't doing so well are two wars. Nobody wants to talk 'bout that, to be honest.