VENKAT: Broken systems lead to broken futures
It is no secret that the U.S. healthcare system has been severely flawed for ages. From sky-high health insurance prices, hospital bills with arbitrary fees and a severe lack of communication between medical professionals and patients, the healthcare system is built to safeguard money and time, rather than working to protect the patients who entrust this broken system with their lives.
The mental healthcare system is equally flawed, or maybe even to a greater extent — many patients are unable to find help, are not in a position to consent to procedures or are not respected.
Andrew Goldstein, a man who went to trial for pushing a stranger in front of a New York subway in 1999, is an exemplary case. At face value, it seems fairly cut and dry. A man went crazy and became a murderer overnight. This case is only simple on the surface, though.
Goldstein carried with him a history of schizophrenia, and he had been released from a psychiatric hospital a mere three weeks before he pushed Kendra Webdale to her tragic and untimely death. He was sentenced to 23 years in prison because the presiding jury did not deem him ill enough to be institutionalized at the time of his sentencing. He found himself being bullied and harassed by guards and other inmates alike.
He had repeatedly sought help and had been hospitalized more than 12 times before Webdale's death. During that time, he hurt numerous other people, including the clinical staff, but was unsuccessful in finding long-term care.
Moreover, Goldstein had complained of having aversive reactions to his medication. He had stopped taking said medication shortly before Webdale's death. The practice of pushing medication onto patients has recently become increasingly widespread. In fact, patients who refuse to take medication can be labeled non-compliant, and doctors can refuse to see them for refusing to follow their treatment plan.
This makes it seemingly impossible for patients to get by without taking medication that they react poorly to or are unable to afford. This practice of requiring patients to take medication does not actually enable patients to transition into society from psychiatric wards. Instead, it forces families to handle the patient even though they may not be equipped to do so, or it leaves patients stranded on the streets with no one to care for them.
State governments have also not allocated the appropriate funds to support patients outside of hospitals. Patients are forced to re-enter society when they may not be ready to do so, leaving them that much more ill-equipped to support themselves.
Once Goldstein stopped taking his medication, his roommate noticed that he was behaving more eccentrically than usual. He was released from in-patient care even though he was combative and prone to violence. This was a failure on the part of the healthcare system that did not prioritize their patient's comfort and well-being.
Goldstein and Webdale were both victims of a broken healthcare system that caters primarily to the well-being of cash flow and insurance companies. Webdale's death was deeply foreshadowed and could have been prevented, and Goldstein's relapse into violence was in no way, shape or form unpredictable.
He had attacked at least 13 people besides Webdale, including hospital workers. His violence toward Webdale had been years in the making, not unbeknownst to both himself and his medical caretakers.
Goldstein's case is not the only failure of the mental health care system. More than 75 percent of U.S. counties lack providers to meet treatment needs. Wait times for treatment can span up to several months. From 2008 to 2019, the number of adults with a mental illness increased by almost 30 percent, furthered by the pandemic.
Many mental health professionals and medical professionals in general either are not part of a patient's insurance network or are not accepting new clients. Patients are unable to find care or are removed from the care they do have in an untimely manner.
The mental healthcare system requires massive reforms — we cannot allow patients to suffer in the ways that Andrew Goldstein and Kendra Webdale have due to an inability to meet patient needs.
Tejaswini Venkat is a first-year in the School of Arts and Sciences majoring in biological sciences and minoring in psychology. Venkat's column, “Unsolicited Opinions,” runs on alternate Tuesdays.
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