Testimonials

Dear Safe Harbor, I have a dear friend who called me a few weeks ago asking my opinion. Her MD had referred her to see a psychiatrist and to commit herself into a hospital. She looked the papers over that she was suppose to sign first and called me to see what I thought. I told her that she needed to be tested for physical diseases. I explained that many doctors don't know what to look for that can be the source of the "mental illness" or making it worse. I sent her a copy of Safe Harbor's last newsletter which had recommendations for tests that should be run and a copy of the Field Manual (on how to do a basic mental health medical exam) which I got off of your website (http://www.alternativementalhealth.com/articles/fieldmanual.htm). I gave it to her to pass on to the doctor if need be. I told her to look it over and to demand that tests be done! I highlighted the statement in the manual that the doctor has a legal and professional responsibility to locate any physical diseases. She called me up crying today after she had gotten back from seeing the doctor - she was crying for joy. She told her doctor that she would go to the psychiatrist like he recommended and go to the hospital but not until he ran diagnostic tests on her to determine that what she was experiencing was not due to a medically untreated disease. She said that there was a particular test she wanted done. It was a specific test to detect a rare blood disease she thought she may have. You see, she is on Medicare, and even though she had requested many years ago that this test be done, no doctor would do it. They had not heard of this disease and thought she was just imagining her severe pain. She has been put on antidepressants four different times throughout the years. She stopped however because they made her suicidal. She was not that way prior to the medications. Anyway, her doctor called her in today and told her to sit down. He told her that she did have this rare deadly blood disease and told her over and over again how he now understood what she was saying. (About how she was in so much pain.) Apparently it is EXTREMELY painful! Apparently it is SO painful that in its last stages one goes psychotic. Not because it is part of the disease but because it is SO painful. To the doctor this was bad news that she has this disease, to her it was a blessing. It was because for years she has been told her pain was all in her head. That she was mentally ill (depressed) and lazy. Finally after 25 years it looks like the source of the problem has been found. There is finally understanding and maybe it is not too late. She thanked me profusely for being her friend and understanding her. Everyone else thought she was crazy. Thank you for what you and your volunteers are doing