LD 22 (Sen. Diaz, Rep. Contreras)
Griffin was a sweet, but wild child. At around age 4 he started having mood swings that flipped like a light switch. He was diagnosed with ADHD and Bipolar, then disruptive mood dysregulation disorder. He was screened for autism twice; once at age 5 and again at age 8 due to sensory and language issues. Although he did not have autism, Griffin’s language disorder qualified him for an individual education plan before he even started school.
Griffin’s mother is a schoolteacher and single mom. She had to raise him on her own with little support. At age 17, Griffin developed extreme paranoia with serious episodes of mania. His first experience with an Arizona hospital was at Copper Springs in Avondale. He was treated well, and the staff tried to accommodate his disability. But Copper Springs released him with no follow-up recommendations. His discharge papers stated that Griffin wouldn’t benefit from treatment.
Unfortunately, Griffin’s mania and paranoia only got worse. Less than a week after his discharge from Copper Springs, he began punching several holes in the walls of his apartment and ripped off a cupboard door. He started saying, “I just want to die,” and “I’ll never get better, I can’t live this way.” His mother called 911 and paramedics took him to the emergency department. The ED then sent Griffin to an involuntary screening center, handcuffed by police.
The conditions at the screening center were inhumane. Other individuals detained with serious illnesses were screaming with no one checking on them. Griffin did not receive any of his prescribed medications, which resulted in worsening mania and severe insomnia. He witnessed the screening center staff taunting and picking arguments with patients and then laughing about it. They made jokes about a man that had been caught trying to chew on a cable box wire.
Because of Griffin’s language disorder, he has extreme difficulty communicating. His mother tried to explain this to the screening center staff, but they did not listen. One staff member told Griffin: “Cut the shy shit or you won’t be getting out of here any time soon.”
Griffin begged for help for his anxiety, insomnia, and physical symptoms of Reynaud’s disease. His requests were ignored, and he was unable to see a doctor for several days. The condition got so bad he finally needed medical treatment in an emergency room. When Griffin’s mother finally contacted a staff therapist, he kept referring to Griffin by another boy’s name, and told her, “Ma’am, your son is just playing you.”
Griffin’s mother escalated a complaint that he hadn’t been seen by a psychiatrist in several days. In response, the facility just released him. All his personal belongings were missing. He was sent home in a paper hospital gown and no shoes. There were no aftercare instructions, and no follow-up appointments. He had been given a prescription for a sleeping pill, written with an error in the dosage.
Griffin has PTSD from this experience. He came home with his mother and was unable to leave their apartment or go into a public place for 4 months. Griffin had suffered the worst psychiatric crisis of his life, yet the conditions at the screening center were like jail.
He committed no crime; he was just sick.
Today, Griffin’s mother – a single mom with limited income – pays $60 out-of-pocket for co-pays with a private psychiatrist who is willing to treat her son. She has not been able to find compassionate and competent treatment in any public community agency.
