Thursday, August 20, 2009

Another Mental Health System Failure

Another Mental Health System Failure

Seung Hui Cho's mental health records, which had gone AWOL, have finally been released. The August 20, 2009 Washington Post reports that he slipped through the cracks--and 32 people died because of it:

The records indicate that Cho sought help at the university's Cook Counseling Center three times in November and December 2005, twice on the phone and once in person. Each time, he was assessed but not treated.

On Dec. 14, 2005, the day Cho was released from a psychiatric hospital, was declared a danger for threatening to kill himself and was ordered by a judge to receive involuntary outpatient treatment at Cook, the therapist who saw him there did not evaluate his mood. Instead, she drew an "X" through the preprinted triage form.

"Did not assess," therapist Sherry Lynch Conrad wrote. "Student has 2 previous triages in past 2 weeks. Last 2 days ago."

At the psychiatric hospital, just hours before, Cho had been given Ativan for anxiety and was assessed as having a mood disorder, the newly released records show.

"Patient very non-verbal, very quiet, sits in the chair looking down at the floor, does not blink," the records say. "No smile, no laughter, no crying."
This should have immediately raised some flags. This sounds like flat affect, a common symptom of severe depression or schizophrenia.

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