1
/
of
1
Brian M. Scully
Undesired Side Effects
Undesired Side Effects
Regular price
$2.99 USD
Regular price
Sale price
$2.99 USD
Shipping calculated at checkout.
Quantity
Couldn't load pickup availability
Jack Frederick hears a voice. Specifically, he hears the voice of Marcus. He has all of his life. Listening to Marcus has resulted in Jack getting in some trouble though he insists his intent is never to do any harm. Initially his behavior is written off as a developmental phase by his parents and a local pediatrician as the implications are minor. With age however, listening to Marcus progressively results in more serious behavior issues leading to outpatient mental health treatment followed by intermittent periods of inpatient mental health treatment and ultimately involvement with the juvenile justice system. While usually compliant with medication Jack routinely insists the medication has “Undesired Side Effects” which he will only vaguely describe. This often results in his self determined discontinuation of the medication or a seemingly random approach by doctors to find an effective medication with minimal side effects. His mother, father and older sister are faced with coping with, and adjusting to, a life largely overtaken by issues related to Jack, his illness and his treatment. The world of mental illness, previously only read about or seen on television plays out before them. Individual therapy, case management, family therapy and medication management become routine components in an otherwise typical family. As a group, Jack and his family learn a lot about not only the mental health and juvenile justice systems but also about themselves and each other as they cope with his illness and its impact on him and the family unit. Reaching adulthood and housed in an adult inpatient psychiatric hospital while still complaining of “Undesired Side Effects” Jack and/or Marcus devise a plan which ultimately leads to Jack being free from medication altogether... but at what cost?
Excerpt:
The screams echoed down the hallway as Nurse John Franklin and his counterpart on the C shift working the unit, Maria Johnson, were discussing what they had each seen at the movie theater the previous evening. John heard the scream first. It was distant and was likely coming from a room at the end of the long corridor. Instinctively both of them jumped from their seats and raced down the hallway. They passed door after door after door as they progressed further down the hallway. Soon their pace slowed as neither was in exceptionally good physical shape. That combined with the reality neither one really wanted to believe the room they were heading for was the same one they seemed to have entered nearly every evening for the past two weeks. Even with their pace slowing the realization of which room they were about to enter became clear. Every night they had made the same trek down the hallway which would result in the same scene playing out. Nevertheless, as the nurse and the nurse assistant working that evening, they were obligated to respond. Clearly, the patient was in distress.
Almost simultaneously, they arrived at the room. John, in actuality was a half step ahead of Maria due largely to the fact he was a younger, fitter male nurse. They entered the room to find the patient sitting upright in his bed screaming at the top of his lungs. John made his way around to the far side of the bed, while Maria took her place on the near side of the bed closest to the door.
"Jack," John began “Jack!" John repeated “Jack” over and over and over as the patient sat stone faced, screaming, looking not at him and not at Maria but instead staring straightforward with a decidedly blank look on his face. He was clearly not capable of responding let alone carrying on a conversation. John repeatedly called out his name, “Jack” over and over and over again. Maria bravely reached forward with her left hand and placed it gently on his back. The touch, though almost imperceptible should have alerted the individual to the fact there was someone present in the room and trying to interact with him. This touch went without response as well. For 30 seconds John repeated “Jack” over and over again, while Maria gently touched him on the back.
"Do we need to call a code?" Maria asked across the bed to John. John was the registered nurse and thus in charge. Maria was the nursing assistant. John by virtue of his experience, degree and position was the one who called all the shots. John was not a fan of talking about a client in front of the client especially about these types of things and instead of responding, he simply made eye contact with Maria and moved his head gently from left to right. Another 30 seconds had passed and although Jack was no longer screaming he was still sitting upright in his bed staring straight ahead. He was still motionless and still apparently without the capability of communicating.
Excerpt:
The screams echoed down the hallway as Nurse John Franklin and his counterpart on the C shift working the unit, Maria Johnson, were discussing what they had each seen at the movie theater the previous evening. John heard the scream first. It was distant and was likely coming from a room at the end of the long corridor. Instinctively both of them jumped from their seats and raced down the hallway. They passed door after door after door as they progressed further down the hallway. Soon their pace slowed as neither was in exceptionally good physical shape. That combined with the reality neither one really wanted to believe the room they were heading for was the same one they seemed to have entered nearly every evening for the past two weeks. Even with their pace slowing the realization of which room they were about to enter became clear. Every night they had made the same trek down the hallway which would result in the same scene playing out. Nevertheless, as the nurse and the nurse assistant working that evening, they were obligated to respond. Clearly, the patient was in distress.
Almost simultaneously, they arrived at the room. John, in actuality was a half step ahead of Maria due largely to the fact he was a younger, fitter male nurse. They entered the room to find the patient sitting upright in his bed screaming at the top of his lungs. John made his way around to the far side of the bed, while Maria took her place on the near side of the bed closest to the door.
"Jack," John began “Jack!" John repeated “Jack” over and over and over as the patient sat stone faced, screaming, looking not at him and not at Maria but instead staring straightforward with a decidedly blank look on his face. He was clearly not capable of responding let alone carrying on a conversation. John repeatedly called out his name, “Jack” over and over and over again. Maria bravely reached forward with her left hand and placed it gently on his back. The touch, though almost imperceptible should have alerted the individual to the fact there was someone present in the room and trying to interact with him. This touch went without response as well. For 30 seconds John repeated “Jack” over and over again, while Maria gently touched him on the back.
"Do we need to call a code?" Maria asked across the bed to John. John was the registered nurse and thus in charge. Maria was the nursing assistant. John by virtue of his experience, degree and position was the one who called all the shots. John was not a fan of talking about a client in front of the client especially about these types of things and instead of responding, he simply made eye contact with Maria and moved his head gently from left to right. Another 30 seconds had passed and although Jack was no longer screaming he was still sitting upright in his bed staring straight ahead. He was still motionless and still apparently without the capability of communicating.
Share
