Claiming suicide can get you out of anything!

4 I'm so ****** off. We got a guy last night that was violent, fighting with family, breaking windows, ect. The family called the police and he cried suicidal and ended up with us instead of in jail. That was my first problem with the whole thing. He should have gone directly to jail. He has a violent criminal history.

So in the ER he is in 4 point leathers and continues to yell and swear. He states that if he is admited to our behaviour unit he will assault staff, steal a badge, open the doors and escape......He has done this before. He escaped the leathers, he tipped the cart, he was verbally abusive. Ativan did nothing. As I tried to give him an IM of Haldol he looked directly at the security officer and spit in his face. 100% intentional.

The psych facility refused him because he is to violent for them to handle. We called the police because psych, the MD, and I are all feeling like that is where he belongs. Well the officer comes in and says right off the bat he will not take him to jail because he has a 24 hour psych hold. Long story short if you have claimed suicide, psych, ect you can not be arrested and sent to jail because he is not in his right mind. Security wanted to press charges and was told he couldn't. It seems to get more common lately that the police just do a 24 hour and dump them with us instead of dealing with it.

So now we have this viloent patient that I believe is 100% in his right mind and is just an *******. Psych won't take him and jail won't take him. We can't let him go. What is the solution???? When I left after having him for 6 hours. Lets just snow him with drugs and wait until morning for a pyschiatrist. I have NEVER in 10 years seen a psychiatrist come to the ER.

So frustrating, such a waste of time. We can get verbally and physically abused for hours and there is nothing we can do about it because he claimed suicidal at one point. Jail is a safe place! I guarntee they can do suicide watch and he can get a mental health eval there. All this while the kids and little old ladys are not getting the best care they can because we are so tied up with this ahole. Plus he was yelling and swearing loud enough for the whole ER to hear for hours!

What do you guys do in these situations? Can you press charges if you are assaulted? Do you get a lot of police dumps?
Sorry, the police are in just as bad a situation as you. I have frequently seen articles, police kill violent mentally ill man.....why don't police get training in dealing with psychiatric patients. Or inmate hangs himself in jail, family sues police. No police department has fully funded, 24/7 ability to do mental health evaluations or suicide watches. Any more than your ER does. I don't have any solution for you, the police, or society. But it isn't really fair to dump it all on the police.

someone who acts like this is not in their "right mind". There is some reason for constant aggressive behavior. I hate that these people fall in the cracks. He definitely needs MORE drugs for restraint and if he does not have a medical reason for admission, he needs admit to a psych hospital. Sorry you had to endure this

I am assuming that the police have placed an ED on him. After psych sees him and he is medically cleared, he will probably be commited for 72 hours and once cleared he will then go to jail.How was he physically abusing you if he was in leather restraints? If he spits just put a surgical mask on him. As far as verbal abuse goes, I just tune them out, to get upset just fuels the abuse. Think of him as an overgrown 2 year old having a temper tantrum, (sorry to be insulting to 2 year olds)

Quote from brownbookOr inmate hangs himself in jail, family sues police. No police department has fully funded, 24/7 ability to do mental health evaluations or suicide watches. Any more than your ER does. I don't have any solution for you, the police, or society. But it isn't really fair to dump it all on the police.

I feel your pain. There is nothing that will suck the life right out of an ER nurse like the type of patient you describe. It never fails that truly sick people that need nursing care do not get the care they need because of the time it takes to deal with the actual situation and then the added charting required whenever a patient is in restraints. I have seen many patients, once realizing they were facing jail time, say the magic words 'I think I am going to harm myself". In real life, how many people use that particular phrase when truly contemplating suicide? The ones who know the system are the ones who use it. I realize I didn't solve your problem... sorry, I just needed to rant with you!

I would personally endorse the idea of a gag, hog ties and throwing him in the back of thr ole pickup and yelling YEEEEEHAW! I mean if he's already got the 4point on the job is half done! See who can yell louder Joking aside, I think by the fact that you are listening to him means you are a great nurse because despite the situation you still at heart are caring but you cannot take what he is saying to heart. People can be cruel, hateful, vindictive and a whole assortment of other evils, but it comes down to if you want to let it roll off your back and keep moving or land on your feet and take care of the patients that need what you can offer: your caring heart It sucks having to deal with that and I do see how that would be horrible but if I may ask also, will you be seeing him again? Probably not, so don't sweat it hun and take care in knowing you are a good person.Good luck and keep your head up!

wash your hands and go home to your family and friends and be glad that hes not a member of your family and this isnt a every day experience for you. The system sucks, it sucks you have to deal with this grown up child. but you get a paycheck and have your right mind, and get to move on with your life. now that doesn't change the ****** situation that happened but this guy might never have peace. at least you do... idk

the hospital i do clinicals at has a special section of the ER for people like that. it is a locked area with three rooms, unbreakable glass(plastic), the nurses station is separated with a big window to watch them. its like a mini psych unit. no windows in their rooms, locked garage door hiding the sink, all the psych fixings.anyway, when i did my rotation there who was homeless and this was his 4th hospital in the area hed shown up at that month stating very calmly "i want to kill myself and hurt my family". so they automatically had to place him on a hold. he was there for 36 hours when i started the day, and hadnt left by the time i went home. no psych units would take him because he was on o2.. thank god he wasnt violent like this guy, but my point is, a sectioned off part of the er for cases like this would be useful in most hospitals me thinks.

Quote from brownbookSorry, the police are in just as bad a situation as you. I have frequently seen articles, police kill violent mentally ill man.....why don't police get training in dealing with psychiatric patients. Or inmate hangs himself in jail, family sues police. No police department has fully funded, 24/7 ability to do mental health evaluations or suicide watches. Any more than your ER does. I don't have any solution for you, the police, or society. But it isn't really fair to dump it all on the police.

Quote from classicdamesomeone who acts like this is not in their "right mind". There is some reason for constant aggressive behavior. I hate that these people fall in the cracks. He definitely needs MORE drugs for restraint and if he does not have a medical reason for admission, he needs admit to a psych hospital. Sorry you had to endure this

Quote from M.NurseI would personally endorse the idea of a gag, hog ties and throwing him in the back of thr ole pickup and yelling YEEEEEHAW! I mean if he's already got the 4point on the job is half done! See who can yell louder Joking aside, I think by the fact that you are listening to him means you are a great nurse because despite the situation you still at heart are caring but you cannot take what he is saying to heart. People can be cruel, hateful, vindictive and a whole assortment of other evils, but it comes down to if you want to let it roll off your back and keep moving or land on your feet and take care of the patients that need what you can offer: your caring heart It sucks having to deal with that and I do see how that would be horrible but if I may ask also, will you be seeing him again? Probably not, so don't sweat it hun and take care in knowing you are a good person.Good luck and keep your head up!

Quote from ashleyisawesomethe hospital i do clinicals at has a special section of the er for people like that. it is a locked area with three rooms, unbreakable glass(plastic), the nurses station is separated with a big window to watch them. its like a mini psych unit. no windows in their rooms, locked garage door hiding the sink, all the psych fixings.i have never seen anything like that around here i was shoucked to see there was a need for medel deteacters anyway, when i did my rotation there who was homeless and this was his 4th hospital in the area hed shown up at that month stating very calmly "i want to kill myself and hurt my family". so they automatically had to place him on a hold. he was there for 36 hours when i started the day, and hadnt left by the time i went home. no psych units would take him because he was on o2.. thank god he wasnt violent like this guy, but my point is, a sectioned off part of the er for cases like this would be useful in most hospitals me thinks.