7 year olds and your vote

Today I saw a 7 year old girl with psychosis. She had been brutally traumatized at 4 years old by her father, and a year later she began to hear voices telling her to hurt herself and others. She had maxed out on her antipsychotic medication and her doctor had recently put her on some of the oldest and most toxic meds. I have seen psychiatrists show dismay when they see 40 year olds on this medication as it usually means that all other options have been exhausted. The medication can cause involuntary movements, muscles spasms and uncontrollable smacking of the lips and writhing of the tongue and unfortunately, she had most of these symptoms. She was pleasant and cooperative, though my eyes actually began to hurt while interviewing her because she was moving/writhing/wiggling THAT much. She was transferred to an inpatient hospital for kids under 12, so I will probably never know what will happen to her, but with the right doctors, good treatment and some time, I think she still has a chance.

I've seen a lot of kids like her, though mostly 10 years down the line. Some have schizophrenia and a poor prognosis, others have bipolar or depressive disorders, others abuse drugs, and most do a combination of these. Many have borderline personality disorder, which means that they can't form stable relationships and do not have a good sense of who they are. They either hate or love you, and in order to regain a sense of control and reign in their hurt emotions, they will often cut themselves or lash out against others.

The important thing is that there are thousands of them, and many move through the system without sufficient treatment and therapy. When they turn 18, they are released onto the streets, with even fewer options at support. So next time our state considers cutting those mental health benefits again, don't forget that those rules will be applying that little 7 year old girl I saw today.