Medical Procedures include a mental health wellness survey, red flag potential?

I just underwent a medical procedure with hospitalization. Almost every day I was asked if I was at risk or wanted to die. Several times I was given a paper survey with all sort of intrusive mental health questions. I declined to answer any surveys and replied to the question about wanting die with, "if I wanted to die I wouldn't be undergoing this procedure."

When I declined to answer the surveys the nurse would say it's OK not to answer but it would make her job easier if I did. I figure answering those surveys could subject me to red flag laws. And I figure there's pressure on the nurses to get patients to fill those surveys out.

Am I paranoid or careful?

 

Never been hospitalized but I'm going with paranoid.
On a serious note, if you don't feel you can trust these people with your healthcare, go somewhere else.

 

I would say a little of both. I know the VA likes to ask similar questions every time I see any VA doctor for any reason. And it has been proven that the government has tried and successfully added veterans with PTSD to the list of prohibited persons.

 

Everyone’s mental health records will soon be leaked. Not paranoid, just watching history. What you tell your doctor is confidential, until it’s not. Also, many of us were paying close attention to how the plandemic was handled.

ETA: You seem careful to me.

 

I have been asked if i feel safe at home. If i have thoughts of hamring myself or others. I tell them i have a positive attitude at all times. And no im not planing on harming myself or others. The discussion ends then.

 

Doctor: Do you have any firearms at home ?

Me: I have one on your office.

 

I was just hospitalized last week for a week (straight out of the ER to regular room) while they test me for MS (went blind in my left eye)

Not once was I asked any questions pertaining to my mental health, hell, I didn't even have to show them my medical Insurance card or DL.

Having said that, EVERY other patient else who I had cursory contact with that week DID have to answer all those questions and more (sometimes more than once)

One gentleman in particular (older fellow, well dressed/groomed and lived alone) decided to be rude and butt heads with the entire staff.

He ended up In the Psyche ward after about 12 hour of being a GIANT pain in the ass.

Didn't feel sorry for him in the least because if he hasn't figured out how to "play the game" by now he got everything he deserved AFAIC.

 

My HMO used to have us fill out surveys and paperwork at every visit that included “gun in the home” questions imbedded in them.

I think all of the “What the heck does this have to do with my child’s booster shot?” answers ultimately got those intrusive and unnecessary questionnaires nixed. I haven’t seen another one in years.

Stay safe.

 

Good!

 

Paranoia is relative anymore.

To paraphrase a line from a movie “ I hate to be an old woman but my paranoia keeps me alive”.

Just like how people hyperbolically throw around the term OCD, others carelessly use the term, paranoia.

It never hurts to be a little bit more careful these days. Trust but verify.

 

Being asked about being suicidal or wanting to hurt yourself or others is relative to certain medications that they may provide to you during or after a given procedure. Some tend to enhance said feelings and hence would be dangerous to give you or give to you without appropriate monitoring.

Asking about guns in the home is utter nonsense.

 

I've been on VA medical for two years. I get asked if I'm suicidal every visit even if it's just for compression socks but no one has asked me if I own firearms except for the guy who runs the VA fatboy program and he wanted me to recommend a home defense firearm.

 

this would be a general screening question regarding mental health. about as routine as being asked for your advanced directives( do you want to be resucitated if you go into cardiac arrest).

hospitals , health plans and medicare track all sorts of metrics and this "mental health screening" may be one of them. discussing advance directives is certainly one of them. occasionally mental health screening may be able to flush out a patient having suicidal thoughts who was in the hospital for something else and get help for that particular patient. answer in the negative and move on. if you truly are suicidal then...

 

This makes sense, didn't occur to me. I did get various meds that were new to me. I answer over and over that I wanted to live during my 7 day stay. OTOH, a four page questionnaire was more than I was will to consider. I didn't even look at it, just politely declined. I was never asked about guns. They did ask if I was safe in my home and I answered. Crazy times.

 

Questioning protocol.
Ask "Are you paranoid?"
If response is "No", ask "How long have you been in denial?"

 

From my significant other who spent 39 years in the health insurance business - All surveys at hospital and health care facilities are related to Medicare reimbursement for that particular facility. Hospitals operate on the rules of Medicare and these surveys are part of the metrics used to determine each facilities rate of reimbursement from Medicare. Your name is attached to the survey and it can be accessed by Medicare, insurance companies and Health and Human Services (HHS). The survey is not private information. All 3 letter agencies have access to HHS records.
My brother, my sister in law, and one of my best shooting buddies, all retired doctors and nurses corroborate with this. I was the chairman of a small health care fund for 6 years and also corroborate with this.

Never answer the surveys. The only info a hospital needs from you is your name, birthday, who your insurance carrier is and what medical issues you are having. Telling them you are, or were, depressed (or whatever) becomes part of your medical records whether you are diagnosed by a professional or not. Being depressed, or having a history of it, is considered a mental illness (red flag).

 

Thank you for your very informative post. My instincts served me well. I will continue to decline these mental health surveys.

 

I’m sure by reading and clicking “like” to your post is a clear indication a person is gaming the system. Somewhere is an extremely woke nut job, who could be an agent of three letters, looking to use it against gun owners. Of course this post could make me sound paranoid. Damn that emoji makes me look angry.

Ok I got a little silly there but seriously, someone in the government will use everything against us if they choose to.

 

I went to the ER in bad pain.
Nobody else there and it was still sloooooow to get logged in.
Am doubled over, sickly.....and this lady sits at a screen typing.....asks me a few basic questions on weight, height, smoke or drink......then comes the biggie.

Do you feel like killing yourself?

Said " lady, if we dont get this taken care of real quick, yeah ".

She gave me a nasty look.

Too many wimps and fakers acting up for pain meds really screws up the system for folks w real stuff going on

 

"Do I need to answer these questions in order to get the health care I need?" "If yes, then why?"

Seems simple enough to me.

 

Life isnt always easy. Bad stuff happens and depression may be a temporary result. Its part of life ( for most ).

IMHO people dont want any discomfort these days and refuse to work through it to strengthen themselves. Everbody is a victim and all you need is a pill.

Amazed at how so many younger folks have depression and anxiety issues....must be something in the mcnuggets

 

I spent 3 days in the hospital a couple weeks ago due to an internal injury I got fighting in the dojo. I was asked if I was being abused or neglected at home when I got there, and the doctor suspected me of having compromised intelligence because I still do the MMA thing at 55. Otherwise, there was no mental health screening that I could readily sense.

 

Sounds like how the VA doctor I was seeing for pain management sounded when I told him one way I deal with pain is to go to the shooting range. Oh man you should have seen the looks on his face until I explained how precision rifle shooting actually helps me deal with constant pain. I went into every aspect of shooting starting with safety first. Once I explained breathing techniques and math required for precision shooting, he then fully understood.