🚀 go-pugleaf

Imagine suddenly going from cramming for mid-term exams to the cold
boredom of involuntary committment in a mental ward a thousand miles
away. That would be hard on the head, wouldn't it? Now include staff
that criticises your taste in music, threatens to cut off your smoking
priviledges, and even makes homophobic sexist jokes ("It's ''Adam and
Eve'' not ''Adam and Steve''.") Wouldn't that be frustrating? On top
of it, contact with friends suddently cut ... no PC means no email, no
MSN, no AIM ... even phone access is restricted.

That's what happened to my friend this week ... from Halifax to an
Ontario mental ward, under the watchful guidance of her parents.

She's not making collect calls all the way back here to me because she
has a lot of people to turn to (In my situation I can't realistically
afford it, I really can't. But gawd, given the situation ... how am I
supposed to say no, even /if/ groceries are a problem at the moment.
Anybody got ideas on this? Can we start some sort of collection?) and
they've stampeded her by changing her meds and starting to talk
lithium. That, on top of the locked-in situation ... who thinks that's
how to help people settle down?! Who's idea of nurturing help is that?
Maybe some older and mature person could just take it (doubts!) but
for an energetic young person ... it strikes me as cruel.

If someone can talk this through with me, please reply direct by
email.

Ben Tremblay  ab006 (AT) chebucto.ns.ca