Whos at fault in this situation?

17 Comments

Imagine a mentally ill man is prescribed anti-psychotics and mood stablizers by a psychiatrist. At a future visit to that psychiatrist to get more medication the office is closed due to the weather. The man calls the next day and they have to reschedule him for a later date and consequently he ends of running out of medication and withdrawing. He then goes to the mall and murders a bunch of people in a homicidal psychotic rage a few days later. This would likely not have happened if he was able to get his medication but he was forced into a situation where his incompetent doctor would not help him even after putting him on the medication in the first place.
Personally I think the psychiatrist should be held accountable for his actions for failing to do his job properlly. What do you think?

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Comments ( 17 ) Sort: best | oldest
  • dom180
    10 years ago | pl

    It seems to me like an unfortunate turn of events for which nobody is to blame. The doctor hasn't failed to do his job effectively provided he had a good reason for the reschedule. The patient isn't at fault either, he's ill.

    I'm not sure what causes the obsession with blame in today's culture. Why does anyone have to be at fault? Why can't we accept that bad things happen and nobody could have reasonably been expected to stop them?

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  • howaminotmyself
    10 years ago | pl

    This is why I hate procrastination. Get your refill with enough time to accommodate for potential problems.

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    • Anonymous Post Author
      10 years ago | pl

      I wasnt asking about procrastination. Procrastination has nothing to do with having an apointment cancelled. The person in this story was not able to get the medications due to apointments cancelled by the doctor. I thought I made that clear.

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  • charli.m
    10 years ago | pl

    Why on earth would the office be closed due to the weather?

    Usually the medication would have a repeat on the prescription. Or at least that's how we do it here. And patients would get a new one before it ran out.

    Or the doctor would write a script and have the patient pick it up if they had to reschedule.

    There are procedures in place to handle this kind of thing...

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    • Anonymous Post Author
      10 years ago | pl

      The reason I asked this question is I have been in this situation several times due to incompetent health care. They have closed due to snow as well as cancelled me due to not keeping track of apointments.

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      • charli.m
        10 years ago | pl

        For your situation: Find another doctor. This one clearly is not up to standard, and as you are aware of this, it is your responsibility to take action.

        As for your hypothetical, any professional would ensure that a patient at risk of psychosis would not run out of medication as you described. But there is still responsibility on the patients behalf to keep on top of their meds. If they can't, then they should be hospitalised for the safety of themselves and others.

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  • squeallikeasacofpigs
    10 years ago | pl

    Hahahah OP is clearly on meds. And thinking about chopping mother fuckers up. To the loony bin for you I say! Or better yet, TO THE GALLOWS!!!!

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  • BooPup
    10 years ago | pl

    I am also not on medication because I am newly uninsured. So don't pull that "privileged access to medications" shit on me.

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  • BooPup
    10 years ago | pl

    I'm mentally ill. I take responsibility for my actions. It's your mindset that is the reason why people have tried to meddle with my academic, professional, and personal life because of a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Your comment fucks me off. Good bye.

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  • Terence_the_viking
    10 years ago | pl

    I blame the parents.

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  • Couman
    10 years ago | pl

    I would say the doctors, because even though the weather was beyond their control, there's no reason they couldn't arrange a new appointment for something as simple as a refill immediately. If the doctor is uncomfortable prescribing more without a longer visit, they should at least provide enough to last until the new appointment date.

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  • myownopinions
    10 years ago | pl

    I think it's nobodys fault. The doctor had no way of forseeing that being just a little late in restocking his patient's pills would make him go on a homicidal rampage, and the patient probably didn't forsee the urgency in needing the pills. Unless one or the other had some kind of afore knowledge about the patients violent-when-off-medication tendencies, you can't really say it's anyones fault.

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  • bananaface
    10 years ago | pl

    What about the weather?

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  • redneckgirl1507
    10 years ago | pl

    The doctor. Duh.

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  • bigfatpoo
    10 years ago | pl

    The patients fault for being born retarded

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