wtf?

One problem that haunts my sister is drugs. She doesn't do them but the professionals always seem to want to blame everything on drug use. This has been our experience since she first became ill 17 years ago. Many times mental illness and drug use go hand in hand. This is called self-medication. People with a mental illness primarily use drugs in an attempt to normalize and diminish their symptoms. My sister does not use illicit drugs and has always been med compliant. She does like to drink but is not an alcoholic. I wish she was a junkie or a drunk. I wish she sat around all day and did meth. I truly do. Then I could let her sink or swim and blame her miserable life on her own bad choices. At least she'd be having some good times partying and I would be off the hook. Unfortunately, my sister has schizophrenia, a disease she did nothing to cause and does not deserve. I worry about her constantly and am driven to find a way to save her from the frightening and painful hallucinations that are destroying her body, mind and soul.

When my sister first began working with the +ACT Team around 10 years ago she was forced to go to chemical dependency classes. Most of the other people in the class had a mental illness. They did "therapeutic" things like watch movies featuring excessive drug use. At that time my sis was unable to watch tv or movies because "they give me messages in my mind." They watched movies like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas which is hilarious and one of my all time favorite books. However, I would never make my sister or someone suffering from delusions watch it. I don't know if the staff was trying to scare these poor, sad, vulnerable people straight, torture them or were simply lazy.

This fall when my sister was visiting she expressed frustration with the +ACT Team. She told them school was stressful as the voices were making it difficult for her to read and concentrate. She had not seen her outreach worker for weeks so called the head. Patty said, "c'mon, why don't you stop using that's the real problem, right?" My sister was baffled and asked, "using what?" Patty said, "you know, the artificial weed, the bath salts. You smoke that all the time." In Duluth The Last Place On Earth sells an artificial hallucinogenic that is similar to pot called "spice." Anyone who knows my sister knows she HATES spice! She often rants about it. Two of her good friends do smoke it as it cheaper and lasts longer than pot and can be bought at a store. Her ex-boyfriend R also smokes it. She has never tried it. She does not want her friends to smoke it because of the way the act when they under the influence of the drug. She does not believe it is safe and worries about the side-effects of long-term use. These are artificial drugs that have not been researched. No one knows what damage they could do. She was so shocked, hurt and horrified by this accusation that she didn't know what to say to Patty. Patty was her former outreach worker, the one she connected to the most, the one she felt gave her the most support. She felt betrayed and angry. She lost all the respect and trust she had for Patty.

My sister was asking for help and instead of receiving she was denied it, accused of something she did not do and made to feel as if there was nowhere to turn. The ACT Team works with my sister because she has schizophrenia, not because she is on drugs! They are getting paid by the government to provide my sister with care for mental illness, not because she abuses drugs or alcohol! When my sister desperately opens up about the voices and requests help she is deflected by a stupid and groundless accusation! The ACT Team routinely uses excuses to avoid providing care to their clients.