Mentally ill American friend stuck in Argentina please advise!

[Leavingargentina123]

Hello, my American friend had a mental break in Mendoza and was taken by police to a state psych hospital and is awaiting examination. It’s been a couple of days now and she hasn’t yet seen anyone. She has overstayed her visa and her family desperately wants her home. Due to family health problems they can not go down and try to convince her to come home and get help for mental health and substances stateside.

Will Argentina deport her to the United States since she is overdue on her visa and she can be “forced” to return home?

Are these state psych hospitals safe environments? Is she likely to just get lost in the system? Because police brought her to the hospital, is there a legal issue? I don’t believe she was violent but I believe she was very erratic and yelling nonsense, and probably hallucinating.

Any insight would be helpful for as of right now the embassy has not been helpful.

 

[carride]

Any insight would be helpful for as of right now the embassy has not been helpful.

Have you contacted the US Citizens Services in Buenos Aires?
U.S. Citizen Services (Non Emergency)
Hours of operations: Mon – Fri, 9:00am-5:00pm (except on American and Argentine Holidays
Telephone: +54 11 5777-4533

The Mendoza office might have limited service aimed at only Passport help. They sent this recently
The U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires is pleased to announce that on October 22nd, a consular team will be traveling to Mendoza, Argentina to provide consular services. The visit is being conducted primarily as a service to U.S. citizen residents in the area who find it difficult to travel to Buenos Aires to visit the Embassy.

 

[nikad]

Hi! She will not be deported. Even if the police took her to the hospital, due to current laws, she can leave the facility whenever she wants. It may be a good idea to check with the embassy to see if they can give you assistance. If I was in your situation, I would talk to the hospitals psychiatrists to have a better idea of what to expect, and eventually bring a private doctor that can take over her case. It is important to know what the diagnosis is first to evaluate if she is ok to travel on her own back home if she needs somebody flying back home with her.

 

[nikad]

Read article 20 of the current law. It explains the process, rights, etc.

https://www.comisionporlamemoria.org/archivos/cpm/normativa/saludmental/ley_nac_salud_mental_26657.pdf

 

[Quilombo]

Hello, my American friend had a mental break in Mendoza and was taken by police to a state psych hospital and is awaiting examination. It’s been a couple of days now and she hasn’t yet seen anyone. She has overstayed her visa and her family desperately wants her home. Due to family health problems they can not go down and try to convince her to come home and get help for mental health and substances stateside.

Will Argentina deport her to the United States since she is overdue on her visa and she can be “forced” to return home?

Are these state psych hospitals safe environments? Is she likely to just get lost in the system? Because police brought her to the hospital, is there a legal issue? I don’t believe she was violent but I believe she was very erratic and yelling nonsense, and probably hallucinating.

Any insight would be helpful for as of right now the embassy has not been helpful.

I'm sorry you, your friend, and their family is going through this, it must be a very stressful experience aggravated by the underlying problems, but the fact that your friend is somewhere with attending physicians is a positive since they're not lost on the streets during this break.

Overstaying is non-issue, of everything going on this isn't something you guys need to worry about right now. That being said, what kind of visa is she on? 90 day tourist visa, or something more long term? Either way, they won't deport her, especially if she's actively experiencing a mental health crisis.

State run hospitals are many things: in need of repair, chronically underfunded, lacking in medications, but unsafe or poorly trained doctors thankfully isn't one of them. Ironically they often have the most experienced doctors in the country due to seeing the most severe cases since private health insurance doesn't like to touch these kinds of patients, and oncology and psychiatry in particular due to the strong correlation with poverty.

As an American, she's very unlikely to get lost in the system, there's a shortage of doctors, meds, and beds so nobody is wanting to keep people a second in the system longer than needed, least of all a foreigner. There isn't a legal issue exactly because they took her to the hospital, it was clear she was in crisis, not in need of a jail cell.

The main thing you and her family need to focus on is the following:

- Confirming which hospital she is currently at
- Her diagnosis, treatment plan, and supports required
- Looping in the embassy and consular staff for assistance
- Once she's stabilized, organizing her return to the United States
- Perhaps the most important, ensuring she receives and continues treatment once in the United States

Again, this must be a very stressful time for everyone and I hope you all can find a solution and long term treatment plan for her soon.

 

[VincentKMcMahon]

Is your friend the member of a boy band keep him away from the balcony. I've had many mental breakdowns here as said if you say you want to leave they can't stop you. I'm here to tonight in Palermo

 

[Leavingargentina123]

Thank you all for your help. It’s been very useful. Her family would like her to come home, but as she is an adult no one can force her unless Argentina does. I am happy to know there are good doctors etc. it gives me some relief. In an ideal world she would be deported back to the states for treatment but we can’t force her. I just was hoping that maybe because she had overstayed they would make her come home.

Again thanks to all!

 

[Quilombo]

Thank you all for your help. It’s been very useful. Her family would like her to come home, but as she is an adult no one can force her unless Argentina does. I am happy to know there are good doctors etc. it gives me some relief. In an ideal world she would be deported back to the states for treatment but we can’t force her. I just was hoping that maybe because she had overstayed they would make her come home.

Again thanks to all!

Ah, now I understand why you were asking; well, as you said, you can't force someone to do something they don't want to, especially with aggravating factors like mental illness and substance abuse issues, so this will likely be something she will have to come around to once she's (hopefully) in a more stable situation, until then all you can really do is tell her you care for her and encourage her to seek/continue treatment.

While nerve-racking, it might also be for the best; if she believes she has to get treatment at the hospital (or she'll be taken to jail) by virtue of not knowing the laws here, maybe she will get the help she needs, even if it's just to get through this current crisis. If she wants to go home obviously she will be able to leave the hospital, and in that scenario my only advice is that your or her family buy her ticket and not send her the money to do so given the substance abuse challenges, should she need the financial help.

I hope she gets the treatment and support she needs in the short term, and when she is out of crisis she is able to return home to her support network.