The Alaska House and Senate passed House Joint Resolution 30 overwhelmingly; we see the passage as a step forward in helping individuals suffering from post-traumatic stress injury due to trauma. On the other hand, the Department of Health and Social Services continues to allow their hospital and other psychiatric units to traumatize psychiatric patients without requiring the recognition or treatment of “sanctuary trauma.”
A 2003 South Carolina report stated up to 47 percent of the individuals who enter an acute care psychiatric facility will experience incidents of trauma that can cause or exacerbate PTSI. Alaska government agencies like DHSS are aware of trauma research, yet the state of Alaska has developed no statewide hospital requirements that call for the recognition and treatment of institutional trauma (sanctuary trauma) before it becomes PTSI.
Over a decade ago, research showed psychiatric patients were, in many cases, being unnecessarily traumatized by psychiatric institutions. In the eight-page study, “Trauma within the Psychiatric setting: A Preliminary empirical report,” by Karen J. Cusack, PhD and others, the study documented trauma that psychiatric patients face on a daily basis: institutional events, 86 percent (handcuffs, restraints, isolation, seclusion); sexual or physical assault, 43 percent; coercive measures, 38 percent; witnessing traumatic events, 26 percent; verbal intimidation/abuse, 26 percent. “Subjects (psychiatric patients) consistently reported experiencing fear, helplessness or horror in response to these events.” These statistics would also be indicative of Alaska.
A second 21-page research paper by Ann F. Jennings, PhD, includes a discussion on how psychiatric institutions re-enact traumatic childhood events that reinforce mental illness/ PTSI. In the report, Jennings also speaks about her daughter who was institutionalized in a series of psychiatric institutions — total cost to state and federal government prior to her daughter committing suicide was $2,600,000. That was at a rate of $640 a day, not counting emergency services. When a psychiatric institution causes trauma to a patient with no recognition or immediate treatment, the cost of future treatment can number into the millions.
Patients in Alaska acute care psychiatric facilities and units express complaints at an average rate of 900 a year. Half of the 900 patient complaints range from life threatening to conditions that contribute to PTSI in psychiatric patients and denial of rights. The Geneva Convention literally provides better rights to a prisoner of war than a psychiatric patient locked in a psychiatric institution would receive with Alaska state laws.
My own personal experience is relevant. As a young lady I was sexually assaulted. Later in an acute care psychiatric institution (four months), men would walk into my bedroom hourly, stand next to my bed for routine safety checks. Men would walk into my shower for routine safety checks, my bathroom asking me to hurry up. I would often be “taken down” by four men to be given shots. I was not able to go outdoors into the courtyard to feel the sun on my face. I was not able to file a formal grievance. Creating traumatic events, denying patient rights are all things that are done to prisoners of war to break them. Better state requirements calling for the recognition and treatment of sanctuary trauma could have kept me from developing PTSI.
There is a 30 year disconnect between the intentions of the Legislature to protect the disabled through legislation and the actions of the DHSS, regardless of the administration. DHSS chooses which laws they will write regulations for and which laws they will enforce or totally ignore. In the end, the disabled are denied the protection they need.
Alaska does not protect the disabled and individuals at risk of sanctuary trauma with best practices and there is enough blame to go around. There has never been a state grievance law written to protect those who have a developmental disability. The grievance law for psychiatric patients simply tells the psychiatric institutions to write grievance procedures including the appeal process. Psychiatric institutions get to decide if they want to recognize and treat sanctuary trauma. DHSS get to decide if they want to investigate complaints of psychiatric patients, or keep statistics of the number and type of patient complaints.
When Alaskans look at everything; when it comes to the care and protection of disabled psychiatric patients and the disabled in general, a long time ago the state of Alaska, in our opinion, ignored their responsibility of protecting the disabled. There is a way back, but only if the state starts the journey.
• Faith Myers and Dorrance Collins are mental health advocates who reside in Anchorage.
