Conditions in Mental Health Care System

I am a psychiatrist practicing in Laguna Hills, and I wish to make the public aware of a deplorable condition in the mental health care system.

Recently, a young man attempted suicide. I was called to see him in the intensive care unit. He was considered medically stable. But he was still very intent on suicide, and psychiatric hospitalization was clearly indicated. However, he did not have funding that would allow him to be hospitalized in the private sector.

The only way to achieve hospitalization, therefore, was to send him to the facility for the indigent psychiatric patients, which is through the Emergency Triage Service. Unfortunately, all of the 12 beds at ETS were full, and the young man had to wait in the intensive care unit, at a cost to the taxpayers of approximately $3,000 a day, for three additional days.

A similar incident happened a week later, where once again a middle-aged man attempted suicide and was highly intent on following through with his act. Transfer was attempted to ETS, but once again it was full. This time, the patient was hospitalized for four additional days, and even then, ETS was full. However, the patient became violent, and I arranged for him to be transported to the jail.

These incidents are far from unusual, although the violence is out of the ordinary. The incidents took place due to the deplorable conditions within the Orange County mental health system brought about by the limited funds for mental health services.

To have 12 beds set aside for indigent patients in Orange County with a population of 2.2 million is absolutely abominable. Estimates as to the number of beds that are needed for this population range anywhere from 50 beds to 200 beds.

I urge that the state Assembly appropriate more funds for this necessary item in the Orange County budget and that the Board of Supervisors and the Orange County mental health officials make sure that the extra funds are designated for the establishment of more beds for the indigent mental health patients in Orange County.

Dr. IRWIN I. ROSENFELD

President-elect,

Orange County Psychiatric Society