Opinion ID: 1301958
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: the petitioners

Text: E. H. is a 42-year-old Huntington resident who has been in and out of Huntington State Hospital on numerous occasions in recent years. She is diagnosed as suffering from manic depression illness (circular type) and alcohol addiction. When in a disturbed state she exhibits aggressive, destructive and delusional behavior. Between her disturbed periods, she is lucid and interacts appropriately in conversation. She was involuntarily committed to Huntington State Hospital most recently in March 1981. Before the present law suit was filed, no treatment plan had been devised for her, although she had been placed in locked seclusion on twelve separate occasions. Petitioner L. S. is a 25-year-old woman who exhibits a high level of intelligence and skill in personal interaction. She was involuntarily committed to Huntington State Hospital in April 1981, in a highly disturbed state characterized by sexual promiscuity, severely diminished mental functioning, and poor memory combined with uncommunicative behavior. At the time of her commitment, it was not known whether her problems were caused by mental illness or drug addiction. Nevertheless, at the time this action was filed, she had yet to receive a psychiatric evaluation. As a result of inadequate staff coordination and the absence of a proper evaluation, there are a variety of conflicting reports in her records: the respondent clinical director diagnoses her as having an atypical psychosis; a staff member writes, Even during the times of aggressive behavior, the patient has always been friendly; the staff psychologist concludes, Since she has not improved significantly in the month she has been here, probably her schizophrenia is chronic. Petitioner S. W. is a 39-year-old Beckley resident. She has a long history of mental illness (diagnosed as schizophrenia) and alcoholism, but before her current hospitalization she maintained herself in a community setting with only occasional hospitalization. She was committed in March 1981 and has been kept in Ward 2 where few trained staff are available to treat her. Petitioner M. R. is a 25-year-old, severely retarded woman of small stature, who can walk with an unsteady or shuffling gait at best. She lives in Ward 11 with 30 to 40 women who are all older than she and who all suffer from a combination of severe mental and physical handicaps. Ms. R. is unable to talk although she screams on occasion. She is unable to dress herself, feed herself with utensils, or care for her own toileting needs although she is considered potentially capable of learning those skills with appropriate training. Before being moved to Huntington State Hospital, she had been trained to feed herself by the staff at Lakin Hospital. She has since lost that skill. She also exhibits aggressive and self-abusive behavior, and has a history of repeatedly burning herself on the ward heater.