Respite Background

We’re working towards

opening a Peer Respite

Background

Our organization’s leadership and contributors are people who have lived experience with severe & persistent mental illness and have

Received evidence-based training to support others with mental illness
Worked in the mental health field
Participated in cross-sector mutual aid efforts

Those at our parent organization, Grassroots Groundwork, and here at The Nest have a wealth of personal & professional experiences that has lent us an intimate understanding of the consequences that occur when there are limited care options for people in crisis. In addition to providing direct Peer Support services, we have put this understanding to good use by participating in consumer advisory councils, sitting on the board of mental health services, and educating providers & the community on ways to help people navigate the crisis care system as it is currently structured. Unfortunately, this work is not enough to mend the crisis care system that is harming our friends, neighbors, and clients, and we want to do more.

Here’s What We Know…

As is common in most places, Lansing area residents are often faced with the choice to either relinquish their autonomy to a sterile facility or go without crisis care. In order to retain their autonomy, many feel it necessary to bend the truth about their symptoms. Whether that is to exaggerate their symptoms so they are not simply sent home, or hide the gravity of their mental state to avoid another traumatic inpatient psychiatric hospitalization.

If they cannot obtain the care they need, it is not uncommon for people to continue to decompensate, sometimes leading to violent interactions with police or others in the community, further trauma, and distrust in the mental healthcare system.

Sometimes it leads to incarceration or death.

Our organization is proud of the achievements of local crisis care providers. In the last 10 years, providers have expanded access for people with limited income and insurance, as well as establishing more options for partial hospitalization. Because of these improvements, more people have begun receiving help when they need an elevated level of care.

This does not, however, mean that the spectrum of crisis care has been fulfilled to its potential or that the crisis needs of our community are being met. The following are complications people continue to face:

Unsuccessful or inappropriate referrals

Residents are often given information about options for care that lead them to a dead end. And sometimes they are directed to go somewhere that does not fulfill their unique crisis needs.

Inappropriate use of inpatient psychiatric hospitalization

Residents are often admitted to inpatient psychiatric care when their immediate clinical and overall holistic mental health needs do not warrant use of inpatient hospitalization. It is not harmless to admit a person somewhere that does not fit their needs.

Limited options for people who do not want/need clinical psychiatric care

Residents sometimes face escalated symptoms of their mental illness due to reasons that are not medical in nature, but they have almost no options for addressing those without medical psychiatric intervention.

Non-medical contributors to crisis go unresolved

When residents are admitted to services that primarily focus on clinical stabilization and less so on the various other contributors to crisis, those with non-medical contributors to crisis are frequently discharged with no resolution to those contributors. Examples of non-medical contributors include unmet basic needs or unsafe housing.

Inappropriate or incomplete aftercare

Residents are often discharged with aftercare that does not address the reasons they were in crisis in the first place. And sometimes they’re signed up for services that are unnecessary or can complicate recovery if unsuitable.

Hefty medical bills after discharge

Residents often come home to large hospital bills after inpatient psychiatric hospitalization. For residents who were hospitalized involuntarily or who experienced trauma during the transition to care, a large medical bill can cause further distrust or fear of going back.

Distrust in the mental healthcare system and first responders

Residents who are in crisis often face negative interaction with first responders, coercion, and involuntary hospitalization during their transition to care. This leads to trauma and distrust in the system that is supposed to be helping them. More Info

Mishandling of mental health crisis by first responders

Residents often face harmful, traumatic events at the hands of first responders. Local departments are said to have Crisis Intervention Training, but many residents are skeptical of the intensity of the training and the level at which the training is applied.