Anything You
Say To Your Doctor May Be Used Against You
by Richard Stevens
  It
is annoying that innocent people must carefully guard their words and actions
in the presence of U.S. government police state officials to avoid providing
excuses for government sponsored harassment. Even more frightening
however, is the growing array of incentives quietly put into place by our
political masters for private individuals in privileged positions to betray
the trust of fellow citizens.
Some
years ago our first child, a beautiful healthy girl was born. A few
weeks before the happy event my wife's gynecologist had warned us about
something called postpartum depression. Sure enough, as my wife rearranged
her life to accommodate a newborn baby, including breast feeding every
few hours day and night, she began feeling exhausted and despondent.
Since the doctor advised that any sleeping medication might affect her
milk and be dangerous to the baby, Sue coped as best she could with very
little sleep, while gradually adapting to her new schedule.
For
our daughter's routine one month check-up, we took her to the general practitioner
we had trusted for several years with whatever minor medical services we
needed. After confirming the baby's health, the doc asked how Sue
and I were doing. Sue, a foreigner, not entirely familiar with the
nuances of English, mentioned casually that she was depressed. The
doc's friendly demeanor suddenly changed, and he insisted that I wait outside
while he talked with Sue alone. A few minutes later, he reappeared,
announced that he had arranged psychiatric help for Sue with the "crisis
nurse" at Washington Hospital in Fremont, California, and ordered that
we report there immediately. When I said I didn't feel Sue's condition
called for psychiatry, his tone became threatening and he indicated he
would follow up to ensure our compliance with his instructions.
I
had never heard of a crisis nurse, but sensed it was somebody we did not
want to be involved with. I reminded the doc that he worked for us
rather than the other way around and assured him I had no intention of
yielding to his orders. Sue however, hoping to get something to help
her sleep, urged me to drive her to the hospital.
The
crisis nurse there quickly created a crisis as advertised. Since
the doctor was so concerned with Sue's condition, and since nurses are
trained to not question a doctor's judgment, the crisis nurse insisted
that Sue immediately see a psychiatrist. When she learned we had
no medical insurance, the nurse ordered that Sue be taken by ambulance
to Highland Hospital in Oakland, where charity cases are processed.
At this point both Sue and I wanted to go home, but the nurse threatened
to have us arrested if we tried to leave. We were terrified.
After
confirming with a friend who worked at the hospital that the nurse could
and probably would indeed have us arrested if we disobeyed her, I attempted
to negotiate some peaceful way out for my family. I suggested it
would make more sense for a local psychiatrist to examine Sue, but the
nurse said Washington Hospital did not provide treatment for uninsured
patients, although we all, without regard to insurance status, are forced
to support that hospital through taxes! When I offered to pay cash
for a psychiatrist, she telephoned someone then agreed to let Sue be examined
there if we put up a $2000 "cash deposit" (ransom?). I pointed out
that the proposed evaluation would cost a small fraction of that amount
and that there should be no reason to distrust my promise to pay, since
only a month before I had promptly paid the hospital bill for our baby's
birth. Intent on pushing her crisis to the limit, the nurse rejected
every sensible proposal including seeing a private psychiatrist on an outpatient
basis, and finally even my driving us to Highland rather than wasting money
on an ambulance.
We
refused the nurse's demand to fill out forms authorizing "services" or
to provide any personal information, but apparently she got everything
she needed from our trusted MD. Sue, the baby, and I were then forced
to endure an unauthorized 75 mph ambulance ride after dark with rock music
blaring to Highland Hospital, a rather shabby institution located in a
poor area of Oakland. Sue was led into a locked psycho ward while
I was forced to wait outside with our month old baby among several strangely
behaving people.
Fortunately,
after talking with Sue for about 30 seconds, a psychiatrist came out and
asked me why we were there. When I related the story of the wicked
witch at Washington Hospital, he shook his head knowingly, made a note
on a form, and released us. We were denied copies of that form and
all other paperwork involved in the incident, except for bills of course.
Soon
we received outrageous bills from the Clinic whose GP had initiated the
whole mess, Washington Hospital, Highland Hospital, and the ambulance company.
We refused to pay any of them, and except for the ambulance bill, they
were eventually dropped. For years, despite several unacknowledged
letters explaining our reasons, we were badgered for payment of $309 plus
penalties and interest by the ambulance goons, their collection agency,
and their lawyers. Finally they gave up and placed an adverse item
in our credit records.
Section
5150 of California's welfare and institutions code allows "involuntary
confinement" up to 72 hours (extendible to infinity) of anybody who in
the opinion of a cop, attending staff, or "other professional person" may
endanger others or himself. Section 5278 "exempts from liability"
anyone who has somebody locked up under 5150. Nothing precludes legal
action against private practitioners for allowing people to remain free.
To a physician ever mindful of the explosion in frivolous law suits and
the whim of the bureaucracy which controls his precious medical license,
the message is surely clear. When in doubt he must sacrifice the
interests of patients, the judgment of concerned family and friends, the
Hippocratic oath, and every other ethical consideration to the state's
voracious appetite for oppression.
Why
do crisis nurses and other government officials deliberately abuse innocent
people? Often, the main motivation is entertainment or ego gratification;
many government employees enjoy a feeling of personal power and importance
from using force or coercion against others.
Americans
have been systematically kept in the dark about the extent of government
sponsored violence against innocent people in our country and when such
an incident does come to light, many of us only half believe it.
Had I read an account such as the one above before this happened to us,
I probably would have discounted it as an exaggeration. Perhaps some
of you feel that way about this one. Perhaps tomorrow you or someone
close will become the victim of an unwarranted attack by government officials
under one pretense or another. 
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