The prescibing of medications(anti-depressants) to the Homeless

Well, here we go,,
The prescribing of medications(anti-depressants) to the Homeless is a very sensitive subject. One of which I am sure I will get criticized for my opinion of.

FIRST, to all of you who will jump to try and prove me wrong. I am fully aware there are individuals who need to be on medications. Who even need to be on them whether they want to be or not. For their safety and for the safety of others. As long as those meds are taken in a safe, responsible situation. You are right. THAT is not always possible. Thus, my frustrations with the medical communities.

First, a story if you will. A very true story.
A homeless "friend" of mine, had a tent mate. Wayne. Wayne is one of many homeless VETS, just like many others out there. Wayne got into some harsh meds. It was just fortunate my homeless "friend" came back to their "camp" tent one morning to find Wayne writhing in the tent with the tent collapsed around him. Wayne went to the hospital, James and I spent many hours there. I was the only one Wayne could communicate with by grunts and nods. Wayne still is unable to talk to this day and he never came out of his vegetative state. Wayne went from the hospital in Knoxville TN straight to a nursing home. James, saved his friends life that day.

Medications should not be prescribed, given, or mailed to people whom the prescribing Doctor or facility knows nothing about the patient other then they are ill in some way, mentally or physically. The Hospital who prescribed the meds to the homeless "friend" of mine did not "know" the living conditions or status of the individual. They did not know he was "homeless"sleeping in a tent until I had a very direct talk with them advising them of their need to re-evaluate their handling of the individual and the anti-depressant medications they had prescribed to and mailed to him so many times at an address which of course had nothing to do with him.
I am sorry. If you do not use your knowledge to get to know your patient, then DO NOT prescribe something just to make a profit. IT CAN KILL. And HAO's like myself end up having to scramble and pick up the pieces from the effects of your " Care Less" or "Hardened" attitudes. These things affect numerous people when they happen in the homeless world. The sad thing is, these cases where people lose their lives over prescribed medications which the homeless community are prescribed and obtain legally, many times just disappear because of who the people are. Unacceptable. Period.
Do not tell me there is no other way. Please. Do not. Do not even bother going there. Do not give me your medical excuses. It takes time with the patient. THAT is the problem.
It takes coordinating with organizations such as ours and finding out more about that person. It takes a direct question to see if they are homeless. We can help you with it. We can help you prevent many of these situations.
If my homeless "friend" was not there and did not know Straight Ahead Outreach, Wayne would have lay prostrate and died right there in that tent. It will be one of Straight Ahead Outreach’s' directives to seek out those who are lying prostrate and or being ignored or missed by the system. We will do it by both on the street monitoring and by referrals from other homeless individuals. Yes, it all will be a painstaking process. That is just the way it is.

In another case, this one just as disturbing but in a different way. Another one of our homeless "friends" goes to the local Health system in Knoxville TN.
She is a female and is very fragile mentally in many different ways. She just recently got into a new apartment. There are numerous issues that surround her life, which could knock her down at any moment and cause her to go into an all out spiral. Because of these issues, she sees a therapist at the local Health system. She called me one day here this March 2009 and was very distraught. When she told me what was wrong, I was stunned, speechless and very upset.
She began to tell me she did not think she wanted to go to her therapist anymore because of how traumatic her visit was when she last went. She told me they placed her in a small room. Then her "therapist" came to visit her,,,,,,,,,,,ON A VIDEO MONITOR,,,,,like in a jail! YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!
So, they interview and prescribe my homeless "friend" and many others from a video monitor? SERIOUSLY! Are you kidding me? How do you feel them? How do you get to know them? How? Tell me?
I will do everything in my power to keep the homeless "friends" and anyone else I encounter away from this particular facility and from now on I will inquire of each Mental Health facilities of their practices.
This is not a death row, solitary confinement type situation people! You are not located in a prison. What are you doing? I want an answer. What are you doing? Your insensitivity and lack of willingness to get to know your patients will KILL people. I guarantee you.

Mental Health Systems: Please listen. I guarantee you, YOU will be responsible for pushing people to take their lives by this irresponsible act. You may never know it, because they will be the invisible ones, the homeless ones. But trust me, I will let you know who they are.

You should be ashamed.