A Mother’s Story of Love, Loss, and a Fight Born from Tragedy

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My daughter, London Izabella-Ryén Gadd, was only 12 years old when her life was taken by a series of failures — medical failures, mental health system failures, social media failures, and human failures. She tragically died from an overdose of pills, shortly after being prescribed an SSRI.

London was a bright, tender, artistic, deeply empathetic child, attuned to the feelings of those around her. She saw the world with an intensity that made her special and vulnerable at the same time. London loved her family deeply and cherished our time together, especially family trips — Mexico held her heart in a way few places ever did. She dreamed of the future, wanting to join the Air Force one day and become a commercial pilot. She was loved immensely.

London loved to read and draw, to create, to make people laugh. Soccer was a constant in her life; she played year-round, giving her whole heart to the game. London loved so deeply. She felt so deeply. And because she felt so much, she struggled.

But she tried. My God, she tried. And every time she reached for help, the very systems meant to protect children either pushed her aside, misled us, or made decisions that put her in danger.

This is London’s story. This is the truth of what happened to my little girl.

Before Everything Changed

Early in 2023, London began struggling with anxiety and low moods, so her doctor prescribed Wellbutrin. London immediately told me she didn’t like how it made her feel. We stopped it together and turned toward vitamins instead. Even then, she knew her own body better than the adults prescribing to her.

By October, she was overwhelmed. A note expressing hopelessness fell out of her pocket at school, and within hours she was admitted to Pine Rest for crisis care. I believed she was safe. But the first cracks in the system were already showing.

Pine Rest told me London “had to be on something for a few days” before they could release her, a statement that felt less like medical guidance and more like a threat. In the days leading up to that, Pine Rest called me every day, pressuring me to start her on medication. Each time, I refused. I told them we were focusing on vitamins and nutritional support, and that they appeared to be helping.

It wasn’t until I was told she could not be released without being “on something” that they placed her on 5 mg of Prozac. London took it for five days before telling me she hated how it made her feel. I trusted her, and I stopped it.

The next day, Pine Rest sent her to the Department of Human Services for counseling — despite their knowledge that our insurance would prevent DHS from treating her. We waited two hours only to be turned away. I panicked, desperately calling everywhere until we found a counselor in St. Johns. Accessing care had already become a maze of dead ends and contradictions.

Still, London tried. Still, she asked for help.

The Beginning of the End

In July of 2024, London told me she needed help again. I contacted Pine Rest, and they confirmed bed availability. However, they suggested we take her away for a family weekend up north first, to try and do a “reset.” It didn’t help.

On July 8th, London texted me on the ride home from the family trip, asking to go back to Pine Rest. She was admitted that night. Within twelve hours of her arrival, the Pine Rest psychologist called me, repeating the same line: “She has to be on something for a few days before we can release her.”

He wanted to prescribe her Prozac again. He talked me into giving it to her, saying it was the safest drug out there and it was an “extremely low dose” of only 10 mg. But the truth recorded in her medical file was 20 mg — double what I was told.

Her counselor had also told me, a week prior, that it was “time to put London on something,” and they coordinated with Pine Rest. No one discussed safer options. No one warned me about the black box warning for suicidal ideation. No one explained the well-known risk window in the first 3-4 weeks. Instead, I was reassured at every turn.

I trusted them. I wish I hadn’t.

London’s Last Weeks

When I picked London up from Pine Rest on July 16th, she seemed happy. She wanted sushi. She laughed. She hugged her friend Amanda at dinner. But her father aggressively demanded she leave with him, even waiting in our driveway without my knowledge. That environment was already contributing to her distress.

Still, there were moments of connection — and I cling to them now.

While we were up north at our property preparing for my wedding, London asked to cuddle with me for three nights straight. She even wanted to sleep next to us on our wedding night. My heart aches knowing now what she was silently needing: protection, connection, reassurance. I would give anything to go back and keep her right there beside me.

When we returned home after the wedding, she was full of life — jumping on the trampoline, shoes kicked off, laughing. It felt like a turning point. It wasn’t.

The Night Everything Broke

On July 30th, London stayed at her father’s house. She had pills (a bottle of Wellbutrin and some baby aspirin she had found) and plans to take them. She Snapchatted friends until late into the night, telling them what she was going to do. At 1:20 AM, she even reached out to her counselor for help, but the counselor never told us. Never called, never intervened.

This was three weeks to the day since London had started Prozac — the exact timeframe where suicidal thoughts are known to emerge or worsen in children.

The next day, London laughed and played with her grandparents, seeming completely normal and full of joy.

That evening, around 8:15 PM, London hugged me tightly, telling me how much she loved and missed me — a precious moment I will forever cherish. I didn’t know she was saying goodbye.

When I returned to her room a little while later, I found her lying on the floor, in pain, sobbing, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.” She told us she had taken pills, but said she wasn’t trying to hurt herself — she just wanted to hurt her stomach. A 12-year-old doesn’t understand the magnitude of actions like that. She didn’t understand that pills could kill her.

I was told later that she had waited to come home from her dad’s house because she knew she would be safe with me — that I would react, protect her, that her mom would keep her safe. I tried, but I couldn’t. It’s hard when you and your child walk into a hospital believing she will be safe, and instead, they let her die.

The ER That Failed to Save Her

In panic, we rushed her to the Owosso Memorial Hospital, arriving around 10:07 PM. We informed the staff that London had taken pills, but they told us to wait in the waiting room, which felt agonizing.

After what seemed like an eternity, they began to assess her condition. I repeatedly asked if they were going to pump her stomach or administer activated charcoal, but I was told they no longer did that. “Pumping stomachs is considered ‘old school,’ but doing nothing is ‘new school’,” the doctor said, adding: “I don’t even think we have charcoal in this hospital.”

These statements were not just callous, they were medically negligent. Stomach pumping and activated charcoal are standard, time-critical treatments for pediatric overdoses.

An ambulance arrived at 11:05 PM, yet they never placed her in it. They kept saying they were getting her ready, but nothing was happening. Staff never told us she was in danger. They never acted urgently.

London asked me to get in bed with her, and we cuddled as I sang “You Are My Sunshine” to calm and comfort her.

Shortly after midnight, London began to hallucinate, seeing bubbles in the sky.

At 12:29 AM, she started seizing and went into cardiac arrest. The medical team administered anti-seizure medication but informed us that her condition was critical. Despite my desperate pleas, they insisted that pumping her stomach was unnecessary. I felt helpless as I argued with the medical staff, but my cries for urgency went unheard.

The doctor was in the hallway while they were intubating London in attempts to stop her seizures. I had been looking up side effects of the pills she had taken and asked the doctor if it could affect her heart. The doctor said no.

Seconds later, London coded for the first time.

I was pushed out of the emergency room, falling to my knees in prayer. Moments later, the ambulance team came to say they had a pulse, but we were left in a state of uncertainty.

By 2:25 AM, I learned that London had coded four times. The doctors struggled to stabilize her; they needed to transfer her to U of M hospital. As I was allowed to see her, my heart broke. I saw her being given chest compressions and realized the gravity of the situation.

At 2:39 AM, my daughter — my baby — died.

My world ended in that moment.

What I Learned After Her Death

Only after her funeral did the horrifying truth unravel:

  • Prozac is known to dramatically increase suicide risk in the first weeks — a fact no one warned us about. The Pine Rest psychiatrist never disclosed the black box warnings associated with Prozac. An informed consent form was signed in my name that I never saw — it was never explained or discussed with me. There was no follow-up medication monitoring after Prozac was started.
  • London was diagnosed with suicidal ideation at Pine Rest, but the diagnosis was changed to “no harm to self” when insurance denied coverage.
  • London had reached out to her counselor almost 18 hours before she died. The counselor never contacted us.
  • She also reached out to friends nearly 30 hours before she died.
  • The hospital contacted Poison Control the night she died, but no recommendations were relayed to us.
  • CPS had been called twice about her father and took no action.
  • Her digital conversations showed a child drowning silently beneath the surface, hiding her pain from adults.

Every system that could have saved her failed her.

The Mission Born From My Grief

I refuse to let London’s death be dismissed or forgotten.

To uncover the truth, I have turned to Dr. Selma Eikelenboom, an internationally recognized forensic medical doctor, expert in pathology, toxicology, and medically disputed deaths. She is helping me investigate how exactly London died, what medical decisions contributed to her death, and whether London had pharmacogenetic vulnerabilities — such as being a poor metabolizer — which could have made Prozac toxic in her system.

I am determined to understand everything the system refuses to acknowledge.

London’s death revealed catastrophic failures in mental health prescribing, informed consent, ER emergency protocol, counseling responsibility, CPS responsiveness, social media harms, medication monitoring, and genetic screening for drug metabolism.

This is why I am fighting for London’s Law — a law that would require:

  • Non-drug treatments FIRST
  • Root-cause evaluation and correction of biological and nutrient deficiencies before psychiatric intervention
  • Mandatory pharmacogenetic testing BEFORE psychiatric prescriptions
  • Black box warning counseling for every parent
  • Multiple professional sign-offs before any SSRI is given to a minor
  • Standardized overdose protocol in ERs
  • Greater accountability in youth mental health care

What happened to London also led me to start The London Effect, a nonprofit initiative established to put the principles of London’s Law into practice by addressing root causes of distress in children before a crisis ever occurs. It will support early intervention programs focused on regulation, resilience, and safety; reduce reliance on trial-and-error prescribing; and serve as a bridge between families, clinicians, and policymakers.

My daughter, London, was a bright light with so much potential. I fight now because she cannot. I fight because no other parent should live this nightmare, no other child should follow her path.

I fight because I am — and will always be — London’s mom. Until my last breath, not hers.

***

Mad in America hosts blogs by a diverse group of writers. These posts are designed to serve as a public forum for a discussion—broadly speaking—of psychiatry and its treatments. The opinions expressed are the writers’ own.

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39 COMMENTS

  1. Dear Charay, I am so sorry for the death of your daughter London. As you know you are not alone. I have been affected by tales and also personal loss of suicide my whole life. It is there in neon colors but hidden away, ignored, or supposedly erased.

    There is a long long history that you need to know but you are putting together some strong thinking and plans.
    There has been a great division between survivors of the so called helping system and family members who have lost loved ones to suicide. At times they all have been at odds.
    So maybe now there can be a time of hard dialogue and movement forward.
    At this time not really much out there and hard to get if at all and compromised by many levels of corruption in the for profit playbook that is coiled in the system and employed are compromised as well.
    I always thought trauma centers in neighborhoods that are open 24/7 for all and I mean all from the council person to the principal to the nurse to the firefighter to the homecoming king and queen to a little kid that is lost. Each center woukd be staffed by survivors – all are survivors of trauma . All of us. Some more than others. And all types of tools and a safe place for talking or just chilling. And ties to supports . One could get to know the local hospital and employees, the police at the local station, the librarians and employees at the local library, etc. Community groups could use the space to meet to initiate familiarity and create a sense of Oh I know that place. A security blanket for all.
    I wish you well. And look into the lives of those that tried to help chikdren imperfectly more than not. . Fritz Redl,HaimmGinot, Anna Freud, Selma Fraiberg, Edna Jane Hunter, C Henry Kempe MD, Robert Coles MD, Mary McCoud Bethune, Molly Brown , Jacob Riis, Dolores Huerta, Mother Jones. So many of all cultures and groups and religions or no religion at all.
    Thank you.

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  2. I am sorry for the loss of your child. You have my condolences.

    Regarding the doctors and nurses inaction on presenting with an overdose.
    Quite maddening.
    Don’t get angry. https://patch.com/california/petaluma/patient-arrested-in-bizarre-attack-on-petaluma-valley-hospital-staff

    I guess THEY overthought it, thinking because you have knowledge of the treatment for overdose, are there for attention, an attention seeker. And they do not want to “encourage” that seeking behaviour. When in reality, there was an overdose that needed to be looked after.

    Doctors/nurses HATE being told/asked to do something by the patient, and will do the opposite.
    I have seen this in other situations, but I have not documented it for a history-story. Someone should.

    Anyways, my advice for anyone in the same situation is to only say there is an overdose. That is it. An overdose. Over and over. When and how much. That is it.

    When the doctor or nurse comes up with the treatment ( pump out the stomach contents or activated charcoal to neutralize the chemicals), pretend they are a genius and you have never heard of such a thing. The doctor or nurse can then fulfill their role as a saviour. Their years of schooling have paid off.

    Telling them a possible treatment plan can really upset them, so play stupid and say only the minimum. That is the way they like it. They, AS DOCTORS, DO KNOW OF THE TREATMENTS.

    https://emergency-room-nurse.blogspot.com/2014/02/queen-of-drunks.html

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    • True. There is actually no indication for an SSRI in a child. Only one study, highly biased, even supported it in adolescence. There are no studies I’m aware of showing SSRIs to have any potential benefit for children, and plenty showing increased suicide risk.

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  7. Dear Charay,

    My heart breaks for you and thank you for the work you are doing now to honour your beautiful daughter.

    The system is broken. These drugs are so dangerous. I was put on an SSRI when I was a teen and tried to take my life, ended up in the hospital and they increased the dose and I became manic, which led to more psychiatric drugs and a ‘diagnosis’ of bipolar disorder. These clinicians are just willfully blind.

    I am a nurse and have worked for years in a paediatric emergency department and what you are describing is complete negligence on the part of those nurse and doctors. What you are describing is just completely outrageous. I’m so sorry!

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  8. I sit here crying for you, for London and for my own son. Alan died of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs just two weeks before his 29th birthday. He had suffered from depression (originally diagnosed as ADD) from the time he was about 8 and had been prescribed just about every drug on the market. Nothing worked. Two times Alan was in the ER for accidental overdoses. His private psychologist had wanted him in an outpatient psychiatric program. There were no openings. A month before his fatal overdose, we almost lost him, and he was admitted to the general hospital where a social worker was assigned to him/us. I thought this was his saving grace. It wasn’t. The social worker recommended a drug counseling program. I explained that his mental health was far more the problem than the drugs themselves. It seemed she agreed. We got the referral. Alan went to the program once and refused to continue as I’d known he would. A month later, he was gone.

    Like you, I tried to do something to fight back. I wrote a book about our experiences (“Broken: How the broken mental health care system leads to broken lives and broken hearts”). During the course of my research, it became absolutely clear that Alan had been suffering from PTSD as a result of sexual abuse when he was very young.

    Our dependence on drugs, our poorly trained and unresponsive mental health professionals, our lack of knowledge/information as parents must change in order save our children. May you draw comfort from your memories.

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  10. no I see I was not

    “In panic, we rushed her to the Owosso Memorial Hospital”

    read slowly gina and reread and double check

    still trying to play Houlden Caulfield and save people from psychiatry I am writing a long piece with my story and the bigger picture with The Atlantic in mind

    wish me luck

    I would be willing to share the inclusion of this piece with the author for fact checking and commentary

    thank you are not the right words

    for London

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  11. I am so sorry you lost your beautiful daughter. This sure seems like astounding medical malpractice. It was bizarre of them to refuse to pump her stomach or use activated charcoal. I applaud you for all you are doing and I hope you get some closure and justice for London.

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  13. In addition to the SSRI, it doesn’t sound like you were warned that Wellbutrin causes seizures. In fact seizures are mentioned fifty times in the FDA packet and it was taken off the market in the 1980s due to that “side effect”. This medication lands people in the ER a lot and detoxing from it is a major topic in toxicology. This whole sequence of events is unreal to me. It’s completely disgusting on the part of all the medical staff involved and not just at the hospital.

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  15. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a group of doctors who hate their patients as much as psychiatrists. The question for me is why and do they hate families,carers,supporters who object or “interfere” in their brutality more or less than they hate the patient?
    We’ve interfered many times and that’s the only reason my son is alive. Unrecognised serotonin syndrome,multiple assaults,denial of many serious toxic side effects it becomes exhausting.Its not random negligence its a concerted strategy to cause as much harm as possible.No wonder they did so well at Guatanamo they would’ve fit right in.

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  16. London law good thinking!! Nothing I can say that could really express to you the sincere loss that I feel that you feel but it’s not just kids. It’s adults. It’s people I’ve lost a brother-in-law. He was a vet. I mean I’ve lost a lot of people that I’ve known through life and seen all this type of nonsense where this sweep it all under the rug and justice is so hard to get! but you fighting is keeping you alive and your daughter‘s memory alive and many other people and I am in great hopes that this can help many other others not just children but family community resources because nobody understands you lose a child for the rest of your life you’re still fighting for that child somehow nothing will bring that child back to you now just her memories. She was absolutely beautiful what they did to her was completely wrong and you and your family. I am so sorry for your loss but fighting has turned that tragedy for you and many others into something that could be good. Keep going you can do it. You have my support.

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  17. Reading this sent a chill through me: goosebumps of fear, disgust, sadness, and rage for what your daughter endured and the loved ones she left behind. I am fully behind the push for London’s Law. I’ve worked on a similar effort before, creating a petition on Change.org (https://c.org/sXzTG4p25W), though it didn’t gain much traction. I also came across a similar, heartbreaking case involving a 27-year-old in Canada, where her family is now advocating for Madi’s Law (https://www.change.org/p/psychotropic-drugs-waiver-madi-s-law).
    Please let me know how we can help with London’s Law. Should we support a social media account, sign a petition, or take other action beyond sharing this article? I am so deeply sorry to read this story, and I hope it can become the catalyst for the change we’ve all been praying for…though we wish this tragedy had never happened.

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  18. Ms. Gadd-Spencer,

    I am brought to tears by your article. I am profoundly saddened to hear about how the system handled the suffering of your precious daughter. Your story resonates deeply with me; I was medicated around her age after experiencing interpersonal cruelty at school and expressing suicidal ideation to my parents. Once I entered the system, things only got worse. I was overmedicated with antidepressants, antipsychotics, sleep medications, and faced numerous involuntary hospitalizations. Now, at age 28, I am still battling the horrific effects of medication withdrawal after taking my power back two years ago and completely exorcising myself from the system.

    The photos of your daughter brought me to tears. I can feel her joy and unique spirit, and her smile is absolutely beautiful. I hope your hard work in sharing your family’s story leads to significant changes and meaningful improvements in this deeply deranged system. At the very least, you are giving voice to the brutal path that many of us are quietly walking. You have certainly impacted my life today.

    Sincerely,
    Natalie Rose

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  19. First l must say that I am deeply sorry for the loss of your daughter, London. I cannot imagine your loss.

    I am personally haunted by this story. I am because I suspect that London was, for lack of a better word, and empath, someone who had an emotional and psychic depth that not only doesn’t fit well into our contemporary world, but is burdened to make room and integrate far too much ubiquitous social and psychic pathology too quickly in their young life. Children like London are especially vulnerable, never more so then when making contact with mental health professionals, who very often exhibit many of the same shallow anti-empathic characteristics that cause suffering and confusion in our world, and do so under the presumption of “normal”. Please let me know if I can be of any help with London’s Law! I will follow its progress moving forward.

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    • Thank you for kindness, it means more than you know. These systems are failing our kids and someone needs to stand up for our children and stop the systems put in place to heal from causing more harm than good. I am in the process of trying to start LondonsLaw.org. We are hosting the Stolen Lives Picnic on July 29, international Prescribed Harm Awareness Day, in Lansing Michigan for the first time outside the UK. Here is more information on the event…
      https://www.facebook.com/groups/2030517087508515/?ref=share&mibextid=NSMWBT
      Feel free to message me on messenger through Facebook… I’m constantly posting updates of what I am doing and where London’s Law stands, and what’s next.
      Here is the link for my personal page:
      https://www.facebook.com/share/1BDEQNdyLE/

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      • Thank you for all this info Chara! I was born in E Lansing and grew up in the Detroit area, so I may very well go to this event! I still have family there and haven’t been back in several years, so there’s no better reason now! Thank you for the links, I really, really look forward to looking them over!

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  20. Where can I find more information about the london effect, and the london’s law etc? My heart truly goes out to you and your family . I’m going through this with my 16 year old daughter recently diagnosed with dmdd anxiety and PTSD. She went to Forest view in Grand Rapids for 10 days back in November 2025 and discharged with 3 medications. Never been on medication before. psychiatrist keeps increasing medications. I have had ENOUGH of medications. been researching side effects and learning the diagnoses one step at a time.

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    • This lawmakers need help opening their eyes…

      Thank you for kindness, it means more than you know. These systems are failing our kids and someone needs to stand up for our children and stop the systems put in place to heal from causing more harm than good. I am in the process of trying to start LondonsLaw.org. We are hosting the Stolen Lives Picnic on July 29, international Prescribed Harm Awareness Day, in Lansing Michigan for the first time outside the UK. Here is more information on the event…
      https://www.facebook.com/groups/2030517087508515/?ref=share&mibextid=NSMWBT
      Feel free to message me on messenger through Facebook… I’m constantly posting updates of what I am doing and where London’s Law stands, and what’s next.
      Here is the link for my personal page:
      https://www.facebook.com/share/1BDEQNdyLE/

      Report comment

      • I bought a ticket. I will take the day off. I will make signs for my own story and maybe prepare handouts, if that’s ok. I will be there to watch and listen. I thank you so much. Painful: lawmakers don’t care about old women, and they can ignore mothers, but not a lawn full of mothers. On the front lawn. Your advocacy means more to me than you know. My own story is greatly infantilizing, and my own mother has been a huge disappointment. In my trauma since 2013, pounded by retaliation from power, trolls and hacks, I lash out. Cursing is a therapy. Real therapy is risky, as you know. But I don’t wish anyone the hell I endure. At times of active trauma, I want all responsible for my pain to suffer, equally. After thirteen years and counting, I want the whole country to suffer equally, when I trauma-panic-realistically-I’m trapped until death in a Hitler psych oven-rage, but I don’t really want anyone to suffer like this. Thank you for your leadership. I may promote the event to the press and pols who know about me and wonder if I will ever be pushed to commit suicide. (What a world.) Here is a piece I wrote, very long, that references London’s story (control f to jump to that spot) and your Mad piece. Needed: Acknowledge Psychiatric Crime https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yQDs0deQ_7FlSKRRciO0ECvTcM0cRg9b/view?usp=drive_link

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  22. What about Mad in America deploying press to hound these governors accountable? Like Whitmer? Would love to be able to paste a picture of the governor speaking praise to Pine Rest.

    “Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks at the grand opening of the Pediatric Center of Behavioral Health operated by Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services in Grand Rapids (Courtesy of Pine Rest)”

    https://bridgemi.com/michigan-health-watch/michigan-boosts-bed-capacity-in-horribly-underserved-mental-health-system/

    And don’t bother writing the governor or your elected officials in Michigan to cover your ground. They are not covered by FOIA laws. They can simply ignore you without reproach and say they never rec’d your correspondence. Whitmer promised to expand FOIA eight years ago, but broke her promise.

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  23. Is London’s Law intended to be a state of Michigan or federal law?
    Which lawmakers are you, have you approached as sponsors?
    I would suggest going after the folks running for governor to replace Whitmer in Nov 2026.
    I would suggest Mike Duggan, as he’s described as half Republican and half Democrat.
    Good luck with our current sitting US senators or anyone currently serving in Lansing.
    I know of no Michigan pols on the right side of this discussion.
    Most are Mad in America situationally opposed due to politics.

    This is the reply I just got from your Facebook link:

    This content isn’t available right now
    When this happens, it’s usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it’s been deleted.

    Involuntary detainment is also a prescription that steals lives, especially criminal and retaliatory involuntary detainment like my crazy but well-documented story.

    I’ve been thinking: there should a YA novel about a child induced to commit suicide by never legitimate psychiatry, who somehow reaches back to earth to mess with press, gov, pols and status quo psychiatry, especially the people who screwed her over.

    Inspiration from this thread, George Saunders (writer) and my not worth living life, completely stolen by unrequested, illegal, unnecessary psychiatry. I’d prefer to tell my story in a memoir but maybe I should write, complete and seek to publish this book first?

    I am the young child life stolen by unprosecuted criminal Catholic Jesus psychiatry (of all the nonsense) still alive as an old woman being put to death slowly in a Hitler oven of psychological hell on earth, and it certainly isn’t ok.

    I wonder have you been able to successfully sue Pine Rest? Very difficult to find civil rights lawyers in Michigan willing to work in this area.

    Best wishes

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  24. I asked Gemini. YA novels exist. About the horror show of psychiatry. (But Gemini is not reliable, of course). My novel will need to be for adults. I intend for consequences to happen upon the flesh of the guilty. Ha!

    1. The First Time She Drowned by Kerry Kletter
    This is perhaps the most direct exploration of psychiatric harm and gaslighting. The protagonist, Cassie, was “dumped” in a mental institution by her mother for two years.

    The Harm: It focuses on how the institution was used as a tool of domestic abuse and how the “treatment” stripped Cassie of her agency and voice.

    Key Theme: The struggle to reclaim your own narrative after being told by professionals and family that you are “crazy.”

    2. Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman
    While this National Book Award winner is praised for its accurate depiction of schizophrenia, it does not shy away from the sedative nature of psychiatric drugs.

    The Harm: The protagonist, Caden, describes the “zombie-like” state caused by his medication, often feeling like he is disappearing behind the drugs.

    Key Theme: The loss of self-identity that occurs during the “trial and error” phase of heavy medication.

    3. A Madness So Discreet by Mindy McGinnis
    If you don’t mind a historical setting (Gothic Thriller), this novel offers a brutal look at the horrors of 19th-century asylums.

    The Harm: It depicts forced lobotomies, physical restraint, and the “disposal” of women who were inconvenient to their families.

    Key Theme: The institution as a place of incarceration rather than healing.

    4. Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow
    Though the story eventually moves toward recovery, the early sections provide a raw look at the industrial, “revolving door” nature of psychiatric wards.

    The Harm: It highlights the trauma of being “discharged” purely because insurance runs out, regardless of whether the patient is actually stable.

    Key Theme: The clinical, often cold reality of being a “patient number” in a profit-driven system.

    5. 72 Hour Hold by Bebe Moore Campbell
    Technically “Crossover” fiction (appealing to both YA and Adult readers), this novel follows a mother’s desperate attempt to save her daughter from a system that she feels is failing her.

    The Harm: It critiques the “72-hour hold” cycle where patients are stabilized on heavy drugs and then released without long-term support, often leading to a “locked up and drugged” cycle.

    Key Theme: The systemic failure of the biomedical model to provide holistic care.

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  25. Sharing an update from the press in Michigan covering mental health the most, the Bridge.

    https://bridgemi.com/michigan-health-watch/mental-health-advocates-optimistic-about-reforms-in-michigan/

    (Of course the article does not name anyone who is actually optimistic about so called reforms, especially no patient or parents.)

    As reported, the bills that Dems have offered, and the current ones Republicans have offered, are deaf to psychiatric harm. No mention of informed consent that I’ve found. No simple language saying involuntary detainment evaluations should be video taped for future reference and to make sure they actually happen. The pols want to more stakeholders to have the privilege to lock people up, and the chance to hold people longer, if I read with intense trauma correctly.

    I am sure there is an office that says it writes bills for citizens https://council.legislature.mi.gov/Council/LSB (?), but bills don’t hit the floor without specific pols promoting them. That’s what my education and newspaper reading tell me.

    Bills linked inside:

    https://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2025-2026/billanalysis/Senate/pdf/2025-SFA-0219-U.pdf

    House Bill 4412 would amend Chapter 4 (Civil Admission and Discharge Procedures: Mental Illness) of the Mental Health Code to revise procedures related to assisted outpatient treatment and involuntary mental health treatment. In general, the bill would change referral requirements for assisted outpatient treatment, modify who may testify about a patient’s need for assisted outpatient treatment, establish new time frames for second and continuing involuntary treatment orders, and authorize courts to convene status conferences when a patient is not complying with an assisted outpatient treatment order. The bill also would revise certain procedures related to protective custody, assisted outpatient treatment orders, and petitions for second or continuing involuntary treatment orders.

    https://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2025-2026/billanalysis/Senate/pdf/2025-SFA-0219-U.pdf

    RATIONALE In 2004, the Michigan Mental Health Commission reported that the Mental Health Code needed to be amended because it only responded to mental health crises instead of working to prevent them. In response, the Legislature enacted Kevin’s Law, which authorizes courts and community mental health agencies to develop assisted outpatient treatment (AOT) programs and individuals to petition a court asserting that another individual needs AOT. Some believe that AOT programs have been successful. Accordingly, the bills have been recommended to expand access to AOT services before the need to be hospitalized. CONTENT Senate Bill 219 (S-1) would amend Chapter 4 (Civil Admission and Discharge Procedures: Mental Illness) of the Mental Health Code to do the following:– Require a patient to be referred to a community mental health services program if a psychiatrist certified that the patient required AOT.– Modify the type of health professional that could testify to a patient’s need for AOT.– Modify the duration of second and third consecutive court orders for involuntary mental health treatment.– Allow a court, without a hearing, to convene a conference with an individual who was out of compliance with a court order for AOT and the individual’s supervising agency to review compliance with the order.– Allow a peace officer to take an individual into protective custody for examination for mental health intervention if the officer had reasonable cause to believe the individual required treatment, instead of if the officer observed conduct that caused the officer to believe such. Senate Bill 220 would amend the Mental Health Code to allow an individual permitted to file a petition asserting that another individual required mental health treatment to request and access mediation to resolve a dispute between the individual requiring treatment and the appropriate community mental health services program related to planning and providing services or support to the individual requiring treatment. In addition, if an individual were required by a court order to receive mental health services due to a petition, the bill would require a hospital to detain that individual for up to 24 hours. Senate Bill 221 would amend the Mental Health Code to do the following: sb219-222/2526 Page 1 of 11– Allow a prosecuting attorney, defendant, or defense counsel to bring a motion for an assessment to determine if a defendant met the criteria for misdemeanor diversion to AOT at the time a misdemeanor was charged, or any later time before trial. — Require a petition for diversion to AOT to be dismissed upon objection by a prosecuting attorney or defendant. — Allow a court to enter an order for diversion to AOT for up to 180 days.– Allow a court to modify a diversion to AOT, such as by diverting to inpatient hospitalization, if a defendant failed to comply with the AOT.– Require misdemeanor charges to remain pending upon diversion to AOT and to be dismissed as a condition of release from AOT. Senate Bill 222 (S-1) would amend the Mental Health Code to allow a hospital director, agency, physician, psychologist, qualified mental health professional, or individual to file a petition for a second or continuing order of involuntary mental health treatment at least 14 days before the expiration of a current order of AOT if the individual receiving treatment were likely to refuse voluntary treatment and needed continued treatment. Senate Bill 221 is tie-barred to Senate Bill 219.

    These are the bills may come to the floor for debate this year. Have these lawmakers been invited to the event July 29?

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  27. Here are more proposed laws in Michigan (this time from Dems) but the sewer of Michigan is not looking at patient protections at all, please realize, not from Republicans or Democrats.

    https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Bills/Bill?ObjectName=2025-SB-0222

    which I got from

    https://bridgemi.com/michigan-health-watch/they-sought-help-for-son-with-mental-illness-he-ended-up-in-jail/

    (which reiterates that no one in power in Michigan recognizes psychiatric harms or crimes, though the Bridge journalists may be listening to my emails about their articles, which are starting to show a bit of the wider picture)

    And realize how inbred the political dysfunction in Michigan is. You will find Kevin Hertel’s name as a Dem. He is part of longtime political family. Curtis Hertel is head of the Dems, and his wife–one of many elites directly responsible for blocking justice for me (may her karma come back and get her fully)–is head of MDHHS under Gov. Whitmer. It’s an insider cluster eff. Curtis used to work in NO FOIA Whitmer’s office as counsel.

    Do not trust that politicians that will do right in Michigan. They must be pressured.

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  28. Charay Gadd,I would love to talk to you as I lost my son Shawn to suicide on July 19th, 2023 and have been wanting to do something, ANYTHING, about all these medications that have “suicidal thoughts” listed in commercials and advertisements! Please contact me through email at [email protected]. This needs to be stopped!!

    Sincerely,
    Benita Coursen

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