LD 4 (Sen. Marsh, Rep. Gress, Rep. Terech)
Growing up, Alyssa played competitive soccer and was passionate about social issues. She graduated with honors from ASU. She volunteered to work on Jake’s Law requiring insurance companies to cover mental health treatment. Her proudest moment was being with Governor Ducey when it was signed into law. Alyssa got married and planned to start a family.
But at age 32, Alyssa’s parents received a call from one of her friends. Alyssa had fallen into a trance-like state, speaking rapidly, almost incoherently. Her disjointed speech quickly switched topics: the circle of life, the holocaust, party decorations, protecting children, teddy bears hanging from trees. She claimed combinations of colors, shapes and numbers were communicating signs to her. She began repeating the phrase “I need to test my friends.”
Her friends didn’t know what to do, neither did her parents. They thought maybe it was a brain tumor or a stroke. They weren’t far off. Alyssa was experiencing a medical problem called psychosis, which usually indicates a Serious Mental Illness, or SMI. SMI conditions are NOT comparable to common mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, OCD or ADHD. While 1 in 5 people have a mental illness, only about 1% of the population has an SMI condition.
Psychosis-related disorders like schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or severe bipolar are NOT psychological or emotional problems. These are brain conditions that have more in common with Alzheimer’s disease or autism. Individuals with psychosis often experience hallucinations that they believe are real. Hallucinations can be visual or auditory, like hearing strange sounds or vocal commands. Some hallucinations are tactile. One very dangerous hallucination is a feeling of extreme thirst; individuals can drink water to the point of fatal intoxication. The onset of psychosis can appear gradually over weeks or months, or it can appear suddenly with little warning, like it did with Alyssa.
Alyssa’s parents were directed by the crisis hotline to take her to an emergency psychiatric screening center. Initially she agreed to go, but when she arrived, she refused any kind of treatment. The screening center suggested the family complete a petition for court-ordered evaluation in case Alyssa tried to leave. A judge approved their petition, but 72 hours later Alyssa’s husband was called to pick her up. No hospital beds were available for court-ordered evaluation. Alyssa was discharged with a 7-day prescription for antipsychotic medication and NO explanation of her condition.
Alyssa refused to take medications. Instead, she flew to Las Vegas and maxed out her credit cards. Her family returned her to Phoenix and filed another mental health petition. But by the time it was approved, Alyssa was in Denver, Colorado. The next day, her friend realized she was in trouble. Alyssa was selling her jewelry for bottled water. She was confused. She had been kicked out of both a hotel and a bank lobby and the Denver police crisis unit had been called.
Alyssa’s parents flew to Denver and brought her back to Phoenix. She was drinking excessive bottles of water in the airport and on the flight home. With the help of the non-profit, Association for the Chronically Mentally Ill, Alyssa’s family was able to get her admitted to a hospital for court-ordered psychiatric evaluation. She was diagnosed with severe bipolar disorder, and a mental health court judge granted a lifesaving order for psychiatric treatment.
Alyssa is stabilized, released home, and her condition has improved, thanks to a court order requiring her to participate in ongoing outpatient treatment. Her family still has questions. Why was a very sick young woman released without treatment? Why were there no hospital beds? Why wasn’t Alyssa’s husband advised of her serious mental illness and provided with education or resources? Why did a dangerous cross-country ordeal have to take place? Why did it take 5 weeks to get her help?
