“I felt kidnapped.” New patient speaks after 7 report

(WXYZ) — The 7 investigators were the first to show you in February how patients claimed they were being held in psychiatric hospitals against their will, or they said they were being forced to stay for treatment they didn’t want needed. Since then, we have received hundreds of calls and emails from patients and family members with similar stories.

VIDEO: Watch the original February investigation below:

The Michigan doctor has pre-signed blank forms that can take away your freedom

Officials with the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) say they cannot comment on the ongoing investigation, but the 7 investigators have learned that additional complaints have been filed with LARA about the psychiatrist in our story.

Accommodation in a psychiatric ward is accompanied by an almost complete loss of freedom: in many cases you cannot leave the locked hospital unit until a psychiatrist allows you to do so.

And now another local patient has come forward to share her story of how she says she was held against her will.

Sarah Guarino values ​​her freedom and her life after being locked up in a psychiatric hospital in March.

“I felt kidnapped,” Guarino said.

The 31-year-old from Royal Oak says she suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and insomnia.

Guarino says a breakup, near-loss of her job and intense fear of becoming homeless led her to consider suicide in March.

“I had what I would call a panic attack that lasted for quite a while. I didn’t sleep for a few days,” Guarino said.

Realizing she needed help, Guarino called 911 early on the morning of March 13.

Royal Oak police took her to a crisis reception center where she met with mental health professionals. When she finally got some sleep there, Guarino said she felt better.

“I kept asking: How long will I be held? They said maybe two or three days. And I said, ‘That’s too long,'” Guarino said. “‘I don’t know if anyone is home with my dog. I have to go home!'”

But Guarino says she was then transferred to the StoneCrest Center psychiatric hospital in Detroit.

“I was called out of the room where I was sleeping and told to lay on a stretcher,” Guarino said. “I’m excited and confused. I ask questions like, “What the hell is going on?” And I’m basically told, ‘You can stop asking questions and calm down, or you can drug yourself and make yourself calm down and stop asking questions.’ deliver.'”

Guarino’s records show that she was at Dr. StoneCrest Center. Nagy Kheir was looked after.

The psychiatrist works at StoneCrest, Harbor Oaks, and was chief psychiatrist at Pontiac General Hospital until last spring.

In February, the “7 Investigators” showed you how patients were allegedly abused by Dr. Kheir was kept in the hospital longer than was necessary to clear her insurance or Medicaid. Dr. Kheir denies he did that.

“Patients don’t need to stay there as long if an alternative care plan can be found for them outside of a psychiatric hospital,” Bethany Atwell, a certified trauma therapist, told the seven investigators in February.

We also showed you how Dr. Kheir pre-signed blank court forms called clinical certificates that are used in the civil commitment process. Signing the forms is under penalty of perjury, and sources told the 7 investigators that Dr. Kheir signed forms were filled out by junior doctors. We even found Dr. Kheir was behind the wheel while he was supposedly filling out one of those clinical certificates.

For the first investigation, the seven investigators met Dr. Kheir at his new clinic in Warren.

“You pre-sign clinical certificates,” I said.

“Yes,” said Dr. Kheir.

“Before the patients are examined,” I said.

“Yes,” said Kheir.

“Doesn’t this violate their rights,” I asked.

“Not uh, we’re examining her, but I’m signing it to be prepared for the time factor,” Dr. said. Kheir.

VIDEO: Watch Dr. Kheir speaks with 7 investigator Heather Catallo:

Dr. Kheir speaks with 7 investigator Heather Catallo

Guarino says she spoke to Dr. for just a few minutes on a telemedicine call early in her stay at StoneCrest. Kheir met.

“And it wasn’t even a full interview. It was just him. ‘Feel depressed? No. I’d like to go home.’ “Are you having suicidal thoughts? No. I got some sleep and I’m fine now. OK, cool. “Thank you very much,” Guarino said.

But Guarino says she wasn’t allowed to go home. According to her documents, StoneCrest wanted to keep her longer than three weeks.

Guarino was desperate to get out – her dog Enzo was home alone, without food or water. She says her regular psychologist is Dr. Kheir even asked to place Guarino in his care, but was ignored.

“It’s unprofessional. That’s disrespectful,” Guarino said.

Even though Guarino had officially signed up as a volunteer patient at StoneCrest, she said she was not allowed to leave the hospital.

“I talked to the doctor every day about it: ‘Am I going to be fired?'” she said.

Guarino also says she asked for a lawyer but didn’t get one.

Simon Zagata is the Director of Community and Institutional Rights at Disability Rights Michigan, a federally funded nonprofit organization whose mission is to investigate abuse and protect people’s rights.

According to Zagata, the facility must release you if you are a voluntary patient and request a form that says “Intent to Terminate Psychiatric Treatment.”

“They could let you go this hour. But at least 72 hours – either they have to let you go or start the legal process,” Zagata said.

Guarino said it was difficult to obtain the form.

“I asked the doctor about it, she said if I did that they would open a lawsuit,” Guarino said.

Going to court means you become an involuntary patient – where a judge could order you to stay for treatment for 30 days or longer.

On Guarino’s fifth day at StoneCrest, she called me. She had been told about my first story about Dr. Kheir and the mental health system tells. After that call, Guarino was suddenly cleared for release.

“The moment they knew I was talking to you, I suddenly felt well enough to go home,” Guarino said.

“You’re not suicidal anymore?” I asked.

“Yeah, I’ve been telling them that since I got there. But once they knew I was talking to you, I was given a lot of credibility,” she said.

Guarino added, “All of a sudden this threat of an investigation made her say, ‘Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, she’s not sick.’ She’s not sick. She can go home.’ After that they didn’t want anything to do with me anymore.”

For days, her notes suggested she looked “bizarre” and was suffering from “psychosis.” The day after our conversation, Guarino’s StoneCrest notes show: “Patient reports improved mood” and “Patient was seen by Dr. Nagy Kheir examines, the patient is stable…”

While Dr. While Kheir said he could not discuss an individual patient’s case for privacy reasons, I previously asked him about allegations that he is holding patients longer than necessary.

“Do you hold patients against their will?” I asked.

“NO. I can’t do that,” said Dr. Kheir.

“I’m not keen on retaining patients, I’m not that type at all,” he said.

Guarino is grateful to be home with her dog — but now she says she’s angry that her insurance billed her $16,200 for six days of inpatient treatment she didn’t want.

“I no longer trust the medical profession to have my well-being at heart,” Guarino said.

“How much do you want the system to change?” I asked.

“Very bad. It has to. This is a complete misfire. I understand that there are laws that have been put in place to ensure better protection for people… but the way they are used by health professionals, is abusive,” Guarino said.

The StoneCrest Center CEO sent us a written statement saying:

“StoneCrest values ​​the care, safety and privacy of our patients. While we cannot address specific circumstances, our staff follows strict government regulations, treatment timelines and evidence-based clinical protocols when assessing progress and ensuring patients are safely discharged to the next level of care.”

Meanwhile, Dr. Kheir has in the past denied accusations that he groomed patients to increase their bills, but he has not commented for this story.

What can you do if this happens to you?

This topic of voluntary vs. involuntary admission comes up again and again in almost every call I receive from the community.

That’s why 7 News Detroit will stream a virtual panel about your rights in a mental health facility next Tuesday, May 14, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. on our website and digital platforms. The roundtable is hosted by Disability Rights Michigan and the Mental Health Association of Michigan.

We want to know your questions so we can answer them live during the stream. Please email me at [email protected].

Resources for those who may need help:

To file a complaint with LARA, click here.