Joey
This column recounts the life and death of a "regular" guy from southern Missouri who went crazy sometime in his twenties and was shot to death by a local policeman. It's a sad story that illustrates the confusing world of mental illness and the lack of cohesive care that plagues those who suffer from it.
My friend Joey died about three years ago after suffering from paranoid schizophrenia for almost twenty years. Although he took his own life, his behavior was much like the guy in this story, described by columnist Bill McClellan:
He said he could control the clouds with a stick. He said he worked for the FBI. He wanted customers to shake hands with him because he could transfer luck to them. The best description of Heberlie's behavior comes from an account in the local paper, the Ste. Genevieve Herald. "There are few discrepancies in the report regarding Heberlie's actual behavior prior to the onset of the police chase, and while it is characterized as unusual, annoying, and unwanted, the statements describing his actions indicate that his behavior was generally non-threatening in any legal sense."
That was Joey - goofy, periodically annoying, but always non-threatening. The column seems to link the incident to a change in medication that altered Heberlie's behavior, and I wouldn't doubt it. He had a rather stable situation - a place to live, consistent medical and psychiatric care, a family - and still the slightest upset creates havoc and death.
Joey had none of those things. He spent much of his time homeless, and his medication was constantly changing - depending on which doctor he saw and how they were being paid and what he thought was best - and the impact of that was severe. Even in his longest periods of stability he was constantly getting different opinions on medication and treatment.
Both stories illustrate the huge dilemna that we have in this country with mental illness. Since the mid-eighties, when patients suffering mental illness were cast out en masse to appease the need for budget cuts, comprehensive care is a luxury afforded to a tiny fraction of those needing it.
You don't hear about them very often - Joey had a three or four sentence article in the local paper that didn't even recognize what drove him to suicide - and, without McClellan, not many people would know about Heberlie. But they're out there, suffering and dying everyday.
My friend Joey died about three years ago after suffering from paranoid schizophrenia for almost twenty years. Although he took his own life, his behavior was much like the guy in this story, described by columnist Bill McClellan:
He said he could control the clouds with a stick. He said he worked for the FBI. He wanted customers to shake hands with him because he could transfer luck to them. The best description of Heberlie's behavior comes from an account in the local paper, the Ste. Genevieve Herald. "There are few discrepancies in the report regarding Heberlie's actual behavior prior to the onset of the police chase, and while it is characterized as unusual, annoying, and unwanted, the statements describing his actions indicate that his behavior was generally non-threatening in any legal sense."
That was Joey - goofy, periodically annoying, but always non-threatening. The column seems to link the incident to a change in medication that altered Heberlie's behavior, and I wouldn't doubt it. He had a rather stable situation - a place to live, consistent medical and psychiatric care, a family - and still the slightest upset creates havoc and death.
Joey had none of those things. He spent much of his time homeless, and his medication was constantly changing - depending on which doctor he saw and how they were being paid and what he thought was best - and the impact of that was severe. Even in his longest periods of stability he was constantly getting different opinions on medication and treatment.
Both stories illustrate the huge dilemna that we have in this country with mental illness. Since the mid-eighties, when patients suffering mental illness were cast out en masse to appease the need for budget cuts, comprehensive care is a luxury afforded to a tiny fraction of those needing it.
You don't hear about them very often - Joey had a three or four sentence article in the local paper that didn't even recognize what drove him to suicide - and, without McClellan, not many people would know about Heberlie. But they're out there, suffering and dying everyday.
posted by John at 9:50 PM
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