What are the signs my loved one is not getting released from a Baker Act facility?

In this video, I want to talk to you about the signs that your loved one will not get released from the Baker Act facility. So, if you have watched any of my other videos, I am a big proponent of taking action fast. But some people call me, and they say, I’m not ready to do this, I’m not going to do it, I’m not going to spend the money on legal fees, I’m just going to wait and see what happens.

So here are some things I made some notes about. I actually had to jot them down because there were quite a few of them. Here are some of the signs you should look for that your loved one will not be released from the facility.

Number one, you have no idea where they are. We’ve had calls from people whose loved ones are taken to a hospital, and then they literally fall into a black hole. They called over to the hospital but nobody knows where they are, or they’ve been told they transferred them, but they’re not going to tell you where it is because it’s confidential. Now you have no idea where they are.

Number two, you know that your loved one’s been baker-acted but you haven’t heard from them. They haven’t called you, and you haven’t had emails, nothing. You have had no contact with them.

Number three, not only if you’ve not heard from them, you know where they are, but you can’t make contact with them. You’re calling the facility, maybe you’re sending them text messages, or you’re calling a cell phone and you’re not getting any response. No one allows you to talk to your loved one, so you have no idea what’s happening inside that facility.

Number four, you called the facility, and you can’t get a straight answer. No one is telling you if your loved one is getting out. You’re asking, when are they getting out? “Well, we don’t know. The doctor has to see them. When would that happen? We don’t know.”. You’re basically getting a runaround.

Number five, you’re told that your loved one is getting out on a specific date and time, and then it doesn’t happen. People are calling facilities, and they’re asking “When’s my loved one going to get out because the 72 hours is nearly up?” unless he says, “Don’t worry, the doctor is going to see your loved one this morning, and they’re going to be released at noon.” Well noon comes and goes and you call over there and you can’t get a straight answer and they will be like, “The doctor saw her/him and they decided that they need to stay a little bit longer.” and now, your loved one is still stuck in the facility.

Number six, your loved one is being denied medications. People are taking medications perhaps for anxiety, depression, or blood pressure medication. It could be some other type of medication that regulates some function in your body, and now the facility is refusing to give them those medications. Now you’re worried about your loved one, and you should be. But what’s going on here is, the facility is intentionally trying to destabilize your loved one. Why are they destabilizing them? Because they want to make a case, so that they can go into court and say “Your honor, this person is terrible. They need to stay longer.” They deny the meds intentionally.

Number seven, your loved one is given medications that they don’t normally take. I’ve heard horrible stories of people being held down and injected with drugs that cause all kinds of horrible responses. One of them is sleeping all day. We had one young lady who was 19 years of age, and I was able to have a video chat with her, and it was just absolutely heartbreaking. I have five nieces and a grand niece. This was probably the most emotional call I’ve had with a client; it was just terrible. She went from being catatonic to yelling and screaming and literally bouncing off the walls. Why? Because they have given her medications to intentionally destabilize her so they can go into court and make a case look like “Judge, this person needs to stay longer. Look at them; they’re terrible.” Of course, they’re going to be terrible, you’ve given them medication that they didn’t need. So that’s one of the things you need to look out for.

Number eight, your loved one is being told to sign documents. People call me all the time and they say,” The facility told my loved one that they should sign some documents so they can stay for 24 hours.” Let me explain something to you about the Baker Act, there are two types of admission; voluntary and involuntary. Let’s look at involuntary because that’s the one I see coming across my desk most frequently. Involuntary is when you get taken to a facility by law enforcement or you just went to the hospital, and you just needed some help with anxiety or depression, or you just needed an update in your meds. Then a doctor in the emergency room decided you needed to stay. So now, you’ve gone there for help, or you’ve called 911, and you’re being taken to a facility that you didn’t want to go to, and you didn’t plan on going, I’m sure you weren’t planning on going to a Baker Act when you called 911. That’s an involuntary examination, and that’s where the 70-12 window kicks in. There’s also what they call a voluntary examination where you went there willingly and you showed up at their front door and asked for help. Those are typically cases where you’ve called your therapist or a psychiatrist and said “Look, I’m not feeling good. What should I do?” They would say “This is your local facility; you should go down there and ask them for help.” and then you go down to the facility and say “I need help. My psychiatrist/therapist sent me here.” They make you sign papers. You’ve just signed voluntary examination documents that enable them lawfully to keep you for 24 hours. What happens is that once you’re in, it’s a great money maker for them. They say “Just sign these documents.” When you say “Listen, I don’t want to sign anymore. I’ve done 24 hours and I feel better. Thank you very much, I’d like to go home.” They will respond with, “If you don’t sign these documents we’re going to file for a court order to keep you.” If you insist on going home and tell them you’re not signing any more documents, they will most likely respond with, “That’s fine, don’t sign them. We’ll see you in court, and you’ll never get out of here.” That is what often happens.

These are some of the signs or indicators you should look for if your loved one is being held in a Baker Act Facility and you want to know if they are ever getting out. As I’ve said in many other videos, this is a race to the courthouse, and whoever gets there first will probably win. I saw a lot of these facilities, and they hate me, and I’m okay with that because I help a lot of people get out of facilities when they shouldn’t necessarily be there. Time is of the essence in these cases, and we have to move quickly, so I routinely file them not just during the week, but I’ll file them on the weekends, I’ll file them on holidays; I don’t care. I’ll help you if you reach out to me. With that said, call us for a consultation, stay safe and be well.