Shield Alert for Jake Howeth in Portland, Oregon, USA
Overview
Jacob “Jake” Howeth is a thirty-three year old resident of Portland, Oregon who has been living independently in his own apartment for several years under a limited guardianship.
Recently he voluntarily admitted himself to Unity Center for Behavioral Health while experiencing an extreme state characterized by paranoia, and he is now ready to go home. However, he and his guardian disagree about how he should be discharged.
Jake wants to return to his apartment and continue to receive support from Cascadia Health, where he has been working with a therapist who supports his goal to be free of psychiatric drugs.
In contrast, Jake’s guardian believes that he should live in a supported living facility such as a group home. The grounds for her argument is that he did not tidy up his apartment prior to checking himself into the hospital. To make her case, she entered his apartment while he was hospitalized and took photos of its interior. Jake says that these pictures may depict a little clutter here and there, but in no way do they prove that he is living in squalor or is unable to live independently.
At this writing Jake has been transferred to a “step-down” facility called Multnomah Crisis and Treatment Center (CACT).
It is unnecessary for Jake, a perfectly cogent, capable, and articulate individual, to spend additional weeks/month of a restricted facility. He is ready to go back to his apartment today.
Jake’s guardian wants to place him under under Portland’s Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) program so that he can begin receiving unwanted injections of Haldol, an older antipsychotic drug associated with a high risk for serious side effects such as tardive dyskinisia. Jake has been taking an oral form of Haldol and will be forced to take his first shot soon.
The term “Assertive Community Treatment” is a euphemism for forcibly subjecting people to psychiatric intervention while they are living in their community. Typically, an ACT representative will visit the home of a person under ACT to observe them taking their prescribed psychiatric drugs. Those who refuse to comply with ACT can be forced back into a psychiatric facility even if they are not posing any danger to themselves or others. Critics of ACT say there is a paucity of evidence for its effectiveness.
Call to Action
Please contact Jake’s treatment providers, Maya Berman (meberman@lhs.org) and Dr. Paul Maitland-McKinley (503-495-8211). Urge them to refrain from placing Jake Howeth under ACT against his will and forcing him to indefinitely receive monthly Haldol injections. Demand that they immediately allow him to move back into his apartment as he has requested.
Note
When choosing your words, remember that Jake is at risk of retaliation and you are supporting him under the MindFreedom banner. MindFreedom International does not condone threats of violence or harm, and asks all Shield Alert participants to adhere to its mission statement:
In a spirit of mutual cooperation, MindFreedom International aims to lead a non-violent revolution of freedom, equality, truth, and human rights in mental health care by uniting psychiatric survivors, consumers, and allies through movements for justice everywhere.