Trigger warning: violence, neglect, and human rights abuses in psychiatric settings
DBSA has been horrified and heartbroken at the abhorrent and unethical practices of Acadia Healthcare, as reported by The New York Times this weekend.
The NYT investigation found that Acadia, which operates psychiatric hospitals in 19 states, systematically and repeatedly abused patients, held them against their will, and denied them legitimate medical care, violating the law in order to maximize insurance payouts and increase profits.
These violations of DBSA’s Core Beliefs contribute to further stigmatizing mental health conditions, denying the peer perspective and right to be an active collaborator in treatment decisions, and contributing to inaccessible and unaffordable mental health care amid a national mental health crisis.
Note: Sometimes, when a person experiencing a mental health crisis exhibits behavior that may be harmful to themselves or others, an involuntary hold may be the best option. However, the goal of everyone involved should be to maintain safety and return the individual to their rightful place in society as quickly as possible.
Stigmatizing mental health conditions
DBSA is committed to eliminating stigma around mental health conditions and seeking care, recognizing that stigma is one of the top deterrents people living with mood disorders face when deciding to seek help.
NYT’s investigation found that clinicians and staff were routinely instructed to manipulate and embellish medical reports, using language like “combative” and avoid words like “calm” and “compliant” in order to extend insurance coverage for unnecessary stays.
These practices contribute to sensationalizing and stigmatizing mood disorders. DBSA believes that a mental health condition does not define an individual, and that people living with mood disorders can and do thrive in recovery and wellness.
Preventing recovery and causing further harm
The investigation found dozens of reports spanning years of patients who were held against their will, denied therapy and medications, and subjected to assaults, neglect, and filthy conditions. Individuals visiting a clinician or hospital for routine care such as medication adjustments were instead subjected to involuntary and unnecessary holds at Acadia facilities.
DBSA believes that all people should have access to quality mental health care and knows that people seeking support in psychiatric settings already face high rates of lifetime trauma. We are deeply disturbed that individuals who trusted providers to connect them with the treatment and support they sought to manage a mental health condition instead faced trauma and abuse likely to exacerbate existing mental health issues.
Deterring people from seeking help
Acadia’s practices are all the more horrific for the ways they can and have deterred people living with mood disorders from seeking help. The investigation described one victim who “has become terrified of seeking help because she fears she could find herself trapped back inside,” as well as others similarly afraid of having a repeat experience.
DBSA recognizes that all individuals have the right to direct their own treatment. Acadia’s practices of stripping away patients’ control, autonomy, and input in their own treatment actively contribute to fear and stigma around seeking help, preventing individuals from seeking the support they need to live in wellness.
The change we need to see
DBSA is calling on mental health care providers, insurance companies, first responders, and our supporters to fight for better oversight, increased accessibility and affordability, and more options and resources for those living with mood disorders.
Better oversight: we need to see better oversight, faster response for abuse allegations, and better reporting mechanisms for patients in mental health care facilities. Neglecting patient needs in the interest of insurance payouts and profit harms all those seeking and providing treatment.
Reimagine crisis response: Acadia spokesman Tim Blair claims that Acadia’s solicitation of first responders, hospital workers, and other personnel with less training in mental health care helps the person in need. However, the NYT article makes it clear that this is a predatory practice whereby Acadia gains access to people seeking mental health support by manipulating health workers with less expertise in behavioral health care.
Rather than relying on misleading information from for-profit institutions, reimagining crisis response would allow first responders to connect people in need with appropriate services, rather than ones that could cause trauma and exacerbate mental health issues.
- Someone to call: 988 hotline
- Someone to come: non-police response to emergency calls in the form of mobile crisis response teams of social workers, counselors, or peer specialists
- Somewhere to go: crisis stabilization centers, which provide a non-clinical setting for an individual experiencing a mental health crisis to process with a social worker, counselor, or peer specialist and move beyond that crisis with the minimum amount of disruption to their life
If you or someone you love has been improperly held against their will or suffered mistreatment at the hands of a mental health provider, you can make a report to your local Office of the Inspector General. You may also be entitled to relief through the civil or criminal court systems, and you may wish to consult with a patients’ rights attorney.
To continue to receive communications about issues that support access to quality mental health care, subscribe to our grassroots advocacy listserv.
If you are having thoughts of death or suicide, call 988 or text DBSA to 741-741. If you need immediate assistance, call 911 or go to the nearest hospital emergency room.
