my fiance needs to get an evaluation, but his lawyer won't file to have it done cause he has no medical history of mental disorders. he has never been to a psych. so how could he have the history? he can't afford to see one. now he needs it and h an't get it. how can i go about getting him the evaluation even if his lawyer doesn't think he needs one? my fiance has never been diagnosed as having personality disorders or depression, but he ha both. i have seen him change from his regular self which is very active, to being very lazy, to being angry atthe world. when he is angry at the world, he thinks everyone is out to get him. his family and i think he needs the evaluation, but his lawyer doesn't. so help. tell m what i can do. PLEASE...

why doesn't his lawyer want him to have it done?? Is there a legal or strategic reason you want to have it done or that his lawyer doesn't!??
I am just a bit confused.... I want to be able to help, but am not sure what exactly you are wanting to get done.....
As far as the questions you listed, whether or not your husband has seen psychiatrists, etc, in the past or not doesn't mean he doesn't have a history of mental health problems-- it just means they went undiagnosed and untreated.....
As far as even if his lawyer doesn't think he needs one, you could get one done-- but how to go about that depends on if your man is incarcerated already or not, and whether he is willing or not.... what is HIS position.. does he think he has any mental health issues?? does he want an evaluation/any help!??

my fiance is already incarcerated. he does want one. his lawyer doesn't think he needs one because he doesn't have a record of being seen and dianosed. his lawyer is just not willing to fight for anything less than life w/o parole. he just wants my fiance to settle without putting up a fair fight. but his family and i and my fiance think he has a problem and should be evaluated. even if it doesn't help his case we want him to be evaluated so he can get the proper treatment for his illness if he has one. my fiance is scared of his angry personality and is afraid of what else he might do when he is that person. so he wants to get help. thepsychatrist in the detention center where he is right now, doesn't really try to find the problem. he just perscribes anti depressants if u are depressed. he won't talk to u abut why. my fiances lawyer told me that flat out. thats why we are trying to get outside help.

I dont think you are goign to get out side help. I can easly be wrong though.
That is awful that his lawyer wont help. best wishes to you

I think your fiancee should be able to get an assessment done if he requests one in writing- if he is already in prison (or is he just in jail awaiting disposition of his case?) Actually, if a psychiatrist is prescribing him antidepressants he must have already had an evaluation done- there are not really medications prsecribed for personality disorders although there are some meds that can help with agitation- Maybe your fiancee could request a copy of his initial evaluation and see what the diagnoses are. If his dx is depression and/or any axis II personality disorder, unfortunately I do not think that would have much bearing on the outcome of his case, like it might if he had a dx of schizophrenia or some other SPMI. You can probably call the health/mental health dept of Maryland DOC and ask them the protocol to get mental health assessments and treatment. Good luck!

he's never been diagnosed with anything. but his lawyer said that is all the doctor at the detention center will do. my fiance is still awaiting his trial. can schitzophrenia run in families? his grandmother had it and so did a few other people in the family.

There is some evidence that schizophrenia runs in families-There is no known "cause" but is probably a combination of causes including exposure to some diseases/infections, neonatal brain development (affecting neurotransmitters), and symptoms can be triggered by traumatic or stressful events most often not surfacing until late adolecence or early adulthood-

I would request an evaluation through whatever protocol is indicated --and see what the eval shows.

yes, such disorders can have familial patterns... if he is still awaiting trial, he should be able to get an independent evaluation done.... perhaps if your attourney isn't receptive you should consider getting someone else?? do you have a paid attourney or is it a PD??

it is a p/d. can a stressful event like being hounded to kill someone then doing it bring out the schitzophrenia? or could it have occered sooner due to finding out that his mother wanted nothing to do with him?

well i think my fiancee had temp. insanity u know a few moments when he committed his crime, he had ADHD as a kid, was on ridlin for 10 years, has some problems, was abused, etc, and they still wont give him a evaluaation. hes not nuts and he doesnt think he is, but he knows he has some metnal problems as in little things, nuttin big, but his Public crap defender said only if they feel one id ness. they will do it, some investigator said he talked with a shrink, i dont know, and they should auto. have one done, but some people wont do it, which could be a real benefit for his case if something was to show up, that he had the ability to flip out, ya know?! But they wont and it pisses me of, he said in the long run they might, but its been 5 mons already and they aint doing shit, so good luck, hopefully u can get them to do one one him, itsd worth a try. ktc

He doesnt have mental problems is what i meant to say, but just problems from childhood in general, its sad. ktc

Haven: Most psychiatrists won't prescribe anything stronger then an antidepressant unless they feel that it is absolutely necessary. If your fiance is not having halucinations, and he is able to destinguish reality, then it is highly doubtful that he will be prescribed anything but what his current doctor has given him. You might be lucky to convince the doctor to give your fiance something to relax him from the stresses he faces (Xanax or Librium, for example), but it's very doubtful that the doctor will do this. It's worth a try anyway. But remember, they don't give those medications out like candy bars during Halloween.

There is another issue within the criminal justice system. It's called "malingering" where the patient tries to convince a doctor that he or she has an illness in order to work himself or herself into a better situation, or to escape criminal charges or prison. Before they can do any more for him, they have to rule that out. Others will try to convince a doctor that they have an illness so that they can use the medications to escape their problems, much like some people use alcohol or drugs to escape life's issues. More often then not, it backfires.

Reality is often difficult to face. I am sorry that you and your fiance are in such a bad situation. I wish you the best of luck in securing some type of service for him. If he faces a life sentence, and has a psychiatric problem, then they may be able to locate him into a safer environment. That would be your best hope.

MrCoffee

haven .....i am having the same problem getting my son evaluated and he has had prior diagnosis of bi=polar....what i was told blah...blah....blah...kansas has budgeting problems and where as the state would gladly pay for a forensic psychologist at 800 dollars a pop.....the state is not as likely to pay for a psychiatrist that can prescribe meds....so guess what if you offer to pay for this to be done....they'll do it then...
christine