#i’m surrounded by people who need serious long lengthy therapy

[ikkan]

y’all the longer i keep living in this house, the more and more i lose my sanity…

[sorceressmidnight]

Midnight Sorceress

Chapter: 6/? [1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - ?]

Chapter 6: You’re Not Alone

Words: 2925

Warnings: Some cursing, medication and therapy mentions, a heated argument, relapse mention, choking briefly, fighting

Primarily following the events of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it revolves around an original character.

Description as posted on ao3:  A member of SHIELD is forced to struggle with her mental stability and keeping her secret as the craziness surrounding the Avengers crashes around her. She ends up befriending Tony and Pepper, who help out her mental health a great deal, but will they be able to help her with her secret? Something that could destroy her if she uses it too much… What will happen when Tony tries to convince her to use it to help the Avengers?

Read on ao3: here

Tags: @txnystarkimagines @h0bsyrup

Hit me up if you want to be tagged in future chapters.

This chapter happens just before and during Age of Ultron.

“Pep’s gonna flip when she finds out you've been tinkering and making suits again.” Tony groaned under his breath, leaning over and pinching the tip of her nose lightly. “You know it helps with my anxiety.” “So would some pills, or maybe therapy,” Kiana retorted, pushing his hand away and rubbing her nose. “You know I don't have time for that,” he grumbled, going back to his work. “Besides, I'm close to finishing your suit. Would you prefer a whole head mask, just over the eyes, or goggles?” “I'm sure she'd be against that too, only because she probably wouldn't want me fighting either. I guess it doesn't matter… as long as I can see? I guess?” “You're so indecisive,” he pinched her cheeks softly, pouting. “I'm hoping to have it ready by the next time we go on a mission.” “I… I can't go with you guys… I'm not an avenger! Plus!! All superheroes have cool backstories! I'm just… I'm just me!” “...  That's what you're concerned about? Seriously? You can spar with both Nat and Clint, you have pretty decent endurance from your martial arts and swimming, and you can literally make a pile of dirt fight for you. But… you're not capable of being a superhero. Right.” The sarcasm in his voice was thick by the end of his little speech. It was an attempt to rile her up, knowing she hated it when he gave her that tone. “I could die, Tony!” “That's what the suit’s for.” “I could still die…” she pouted, crossing her arms. “That's what we're here for. We help keep each other safe. You already have three people who care about you on the team. We wouldn't let anything serious happen. You’d be a huge help to the team… Okay, how about this. Lemme finish up with the suit, and we’ll go from there. Sound fair?” She sighed finally, pinching his cheek. “Fine, but when I say I’m uncomfortable, you back down.” “Don’t worry. I’d never try to push you further than you could go. Besides, most of the stuff I’d be taking you on would be raids, so we’d have an advantage anyway. C’mon, though. Pep wanted to go out for food.”

Kiana pulled the curtain and walked out from the makeshift changing room, standing in front of Tony, Bruce, and Sammy with her arms crossed. She was wearing the suit Tony had made for her, now with a pair of goggles that covered her eyes and wrapped around her the back of her head, an earpiece connected so she could stay in contact with everyone. The goggles were black with the glass tinted a light blue. “Okay. Gavin, tell her about the specs.” “Sure. Would you prefer Miss Mariveil or Kiana?” “Kiki’s fine. You can simplify it. I’ve got a headache and I’m not in the mood for lengthy explanations.” “I can tell. I have been programmed to monitor your health as to make sure nothing is to go wrong during fights. Mr. Stark designed it with leather to be sturdy for fighting with the added technology of increasing the percentage of your powers by roughly fifty percent. In case of emergencies, I can increase the percentage which will allow me to channel your power to create a safer situation for you. This is mostly if you become unconscious or are severely wounded. Your goggles are used to keep communication with the others while out on a mission. I am also able to assist you with how best to maneuver.” “Okay, Gavin, was it? I have a question.” “Of course, what is it?” “Can I call you Ethan? I think that fits your voice better.” “If that’s what you wish, then you can address me as Ethan.” “Whoa! Hey,” Tony butted in, crossing his arms. “I made him. You can’t just go and change his name.” “Sir, I was created for Miss Mariveil. I believe it is up to her to decide what to call me.” “I like him,” Kiana smirked, putting her hands on her hips. “So, I’m guessing we’re going to do one last test run? Since this should be the ‘final’ version?” “I do have a question,” Sammy piped up, “why is limited in the first place?” “After several tests and examination of everything, it has been determined that fifty percent is high enough to use her powers for an extended time with no major repercussions. However, any higher than about fifty-five to sixty percent would make it difficult for Kiki to keep control of her powers. It also is harder to scan the stress on her body the higher the percentage.” “Now we can work on testing this baby out,” Kiana smirked as she looked towards the machine she had been testing her powers on since Tony first made the suit. She lifted her arms and gestured her hands to begin lifting the machine, watching as it started lifting off of the floor until it was about halfway from the floor and the ceiling. She grinned to herself, giving out a happy laugh as she slowly brought it back down. The others quietly stared, waiting to see what she had to say. “I didn’t feel anything, Tony! It felt no different than lifting a pencil!” she shouted, jumping up to hug him. He held her tightly and swung her around, joining her in happy laughter. “That’s great!” he finally let her down, smiling, “Gav--Ethan, stress levels?” “Everything is normal, Mr. Stark.”

“Tony!” Kiana called out as she watched Tony stare into space, making her way down to him. He was staring blankly forward towards what was formerly Loki’s scepter. He shook his head, seeming to come to before reaching his arm out, the glove of his armor coming before he grabbed it. “Are you okay?” she asked, brows raised as she saw something in the corner of her eye. She tried to see what it was, but nothing was there once she did look. He finally turned and faced her, brows knitted together. “I’m fine. Are you?” He ushered her up the stairs and out of the area.

“Hey, Pep! Tony’s throwing a party in a couple of days, are you coming?” Kiki asked, pressing the a button on the side of her goggles as they collapsed down into one ear piece. Pepper raised a brow as she watched the goggles collapse, concern growing on her face. “What is that?” “Huh? Oh, uh… It’s my suit. It’s so I can use my powers without putting too much strain on myself.” “Use?! For what?! Did-” she stopped and grabbed her arms, gesturing over some cuts and scrapes she had received when they went on their mission, “Did Tony make this?! He should know better than to take you out on a mission!” “I-It’s not that bad…” she tried to retort, feeling Pepper grabbing her hand and pulling her towards where she would find Tony. “I don’t care! That’s not the point!” It took a minute or two before they found him, Pepper more furious the longer it took to get to him. He smiled at the two, about to say something before he was cut off. “What the hell is this about?! How could you let her go out on a mission?! She could die, Tony!” “W-whoa, Pep… She was great! She was never alone, I had an eye on her all the time! I would never let anything happen to her!” he tried to reassure her. “That’s not what I’m talking about! She did get hurt! Do you see her arms?! What if this causes her to relapse?!” Her brows furrowed, forcing him to look over the cuts and scrapes. “Pepper,” Tony gently rubbed her shoulders, “nothing happened. How about this? I won’t take her out on another mission.” “You said you wouldn’t be making anymore suits!” she hissed, pushing his hands off of her shoulders. “I’m not going to let you risk Kiki’s life, too!” She grabbed Kiana’s hand, brows knitted together as she turned to walk off. He grabbed her hand before she left out the door, frowning. “Don’t you think isolating her and taking her from her friends will worsen her depression?! Besides, she’s an adult, I think she should be given the chance to choose what she gets to do!” “Ugh! Fine! I’m leaving!” she hissed at Tony, gently holding Kiana’s hands. “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call me, okay? I’m available any time,” she gave her a tight hug before a soft kiss on her forehead, storming out of the room and slamming the door behind her. Kiana frowned, staring at the floor. “I’m sorry,” she murmured, soft tears forming in her eyes. “Hey, hey… It’s not your fault, okay? You didn’t make Pep leave. It’ll be alright,” he pulled her into a hug, calming her down from the previous tension.

The party began as planned, most showing up around the start of it while others straggled into the tower. Most of them chatting with one another, others at the bar getting a drink, some others just watching the excitement from the comfort of their own little zone. Sammy and Kiana were sitting on a couch together, watching the party go on from off in the corner. “I plan on taking pictures. Everyone’s probably going to act stupid, so I want as much proof as possible to make fun of them with later on,” Kiana smirked, scrolling on her phone as glanced around to see if there was anything picture worthy. “I’m glad you’re here. I barely know anyone and I’m not in the mood to talk to anyone either,” Sammy murmured, taking a sip of her drink. The two chatted as they watched the others, taking pictures and laughing at some of the antics of the others. Tony strolled his way over to the corner, staring down at the two with a brow arched. “What’re you two up to?” “Avoiding social interaction.” “Makes sense for you, but what about you? Are you still upset about what happened with Pep?” His voice softened by his second question. Kiana gave a quick flash of a half-smile and a shrug of her shoulders. “I’m just not fully feeling up for partying. I’m just feeling a little overwhelmed, I guess.” “Hey… it’ll be alright. I’ll make sure of it. If you want to talk, just grab me, okay?” He asked, receiving a nod in response before he rejoined the majority of the party. The party started to slow and eventually ended with just the members of the Avengers, Maria, Rhodey, Helen Cho, Sammy, and Kiana. There became a challenge with some of them in trying to pick up Thor’s Mjolnir, Kiana recording in short bursts as each person tried to lift it, laughter filling the room during the struggles. After Thor saying ‘You’re all not worthy’ and some bickering among everyone, there was a loud screeching that forced everyone to wince and cover their ears, looking around in attempts to find what made the noise.

“Tony, I-... I’m sorry about Jarvis... “ Kiana gently wrapped her arms around Tony’s shoulders, leaning over him slightly as he sat on his chair, hands in his lap. She squeezed softly as she hugged him, knowing how upset he must be. “I…” he balled his hands, nails lightly digging into his fists. “I have to stop him.” “You won’t have to do it alone,” she spoke softly, leaning her head against his gently. He sighed, lifting his arms to hug her back, feeling vulnerable and weak yet comforted by the simple action.

“Just be careful, okay?” came Kiana’s voice to Tony, brows knitted together as she looked around, watching as Tony intercepted Ultron. She watched as the fight began, working to stop the bullets from hitting the others and disarming some of the men that were brought in. She helped from the sidelines, staying out of sight and making it easier for the others to take down the enemies. A hand found its way around her throat, squeezing as she was lifted into the air, being face to face with Ultron now. “Why is it I can’t find any files on you? I would assume Stark would want to keep something on you and that little suit he made, but I can’t find anything,” he spaced the last four words out as he spoke. “Kiki,” she heard Ethan through the earpiece, struggling to keep breathing, “since he’s not human, you can directly use your powers on him. Take advantage of that to get him off of you, then use the railing behind you to get down to the others.” Her brows knitted together, moving her hands and using her powers to pry his hand off of her throat, landing on the walkway below the two. After inhaling deeply for the first time in about thirty seconds, she then threw him through the nearest wall before grabbing onto the railing and bending it to get down onto the lower floor. “Oh jeez,” she murmured, seeing everyone except Clint down. “You can say that again.” “Natasha, I could really use a lullaby.” came Tony’s voice through the headset, causing the two to look at one another. “Well, that’s not gonna happen. Not for a while. The whole team is down, you got no back up here.” Clint responded. “I’m not down! I’m on my way,” Kiana stood up swiftly, ready to rush out. “No, you stay with Barton. He’ll need help getting everybody back to the jet. I’ll meet up with you when I’ve gotten Bruce back.” “He’s right, we should work on that before anyone else shows up. I can carry one person, do you think you could use your powers?” “Yeah. Let’s just get them on something that I can lift.” The two worked together to get two of their teammates on a large sheet of metal they found lying around before taking them back to the jet together. Tony and Bruce eventually rejoined them as they left the area, headed towards a safe house in attempts to stay underground for a while.

[rolandfontana]

For the Mentally Troubled, a Pennsylvania Jail Offers ‘High-Visibility’ Cells

As director of nursing at the health unit of Pennsylvania’s Butler County jail, Ashley Adams offers one of the few resources in the county for people suffering from disabling illnesses of the mind.

She remembers one young man who was an inmate of the prison from August to December.

“He didn’t belong here,” Adams said, explaining that he was originally a patient at Butler Memorial Hospital and suffered from a bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

The hospital couldn’t offer him long-term care and when they demanded he leave, the young man refused, prompting hospital officials to call the police.

Adams said the man became so agitated by the time the police arrived that he hit the officers. He was eventually sentenced to a jail term for aggravated assault.

“We’re dealing with an underserved population,” Adams said. “They are just people too, but they need help; they need medical care.”

Ten years after Butler County Prison was built, officials continue to look for ways to deal with inmates suffering from mental health issues, a task that isn’t inherent to a system tasked with punishment, not therapy.

There are anywhere from 75 to 100 inmates—more than 30 percent of the jail’s population— who are on Ashley Adams’ health “radar.”

Adams, a health services administrator and registered nurse with the jail, said that these people could be suffering from a variety of conditions, from a mild anxiety disorder to a serious mental health diagnosis, such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia.

The problem is not specific to Butler, according to researchers and criminal justice experts. Nationally, mental illness affects men and women in jail at rates four to six times higher than in the general population.

“In a mental health crisis, people are more likely to encounter police than get medical help,” according to one study by the National Alliance for Mental Health.

“As a result, two million people with mental illness are booked into jails each year. Nearly 15 percent of men and 30 percent of women booked into jails have a serious mental health condition.”

Special Cells

In Butler, if an inmate suffering from a mental health issue becomes disruptive or aggressive, the most immediate response is to put him or her in cells specially designed for high visibility so that inmates can’t hurt themselves, said Beau Sneddon, the jail’s deputy warden of operations.

“We have a lot of people here with mental health problems so that’s something we deal with regularly,” Sneddon said. “We’ve learned so much about what their needs are, and we’ve educated our corrections officers.

“Most importantly, they have the will to do it. It helps lower incidents.”

But this does little for an inmate’s long-term recovery. Once they are no longer causing trouble, Adams said they have little choice other than putting them back in the jail’s general population or keeping them in the special cells.

“These individuals often do not do well in the general population at the prison,” Adams wrote in an email, arguing that a special area for them be designated.

“Having this space would greatly improve our abilities to assist in rehabilitating them while they are incarcerated.”

She noted that with the jail’s inmate population currently at 259, there is enough space in a jail that has a capacity of more than 500 to create a dedicated space for people in the midst of a mental health crisis, something they do not have.

Instead, the health unit has 10 cells that provide high visibility of the jailed inmate allowing jail attendants to ensure they don’t harm themselves. There are also three padded cells for special cases.

“For humanitarian reasons we try to get them out of there as soon as possible,” she said, explaining that the padded cells aren’t outfitted for long-term use as they don’t have beds or a toilet.

“But it becomes a problem when we have to keep them in there for a long time.”

She continued, “My biggest goals for the mental health side of things would be an on-site provider as well as a greater capacity for housing inmates meeting mental health diagnosis criteria in a different setting than our medical infirmary.

At least 2 million people with mental illnesses are booked into facilities like the Butler County jail each year. Photo by Eric Jankiewicz.

More high-visibility cells would be great — as an intermediate step between general housing and a padded suicide- prevention type of cell.”

Currently, she said, if an inmate who has been in a padded cell for a long time isn’t ready to be put in a high visibility cell then they will try and send him o a medical facility.

“This is where we’ve hit roadblocks,” she said, explaining that inmates “are low priority since they have a limited number of psychiatric beds.”

A dedicated unit would remove a need for outside facilities.

Last year, jail officials floated the idea of creating a crisis intervention center by repurposing an area of the prison known as the pit, that currently has just a few cells and a row of chairs.

During a December meeting where Warden Joe DeMore mentioned the idea, the county’s commissioners appeared willing to consider such a move.

Jails No Solution for the Mentally Troubled

But Travis Parker, a senior criminal justice expert with Policy Research Inc., based in Lincoln, Neb., said that jails are not the ultimate solution in treating mental illness.

“Jail is not the place to get rehabilitation or services of any kind,” Parker said.

He suggested instead that local police departments maintain local crisis response teams that include officers who are trained to deal with people who are suffering some kind of mental breakdown.

Parker himself works part-time for a mobile crisis response team for law enforcement and jails in the 15 rural counties surrounding Lincoln, spending “a great deal of time” in counties not unlike Butler.

He also suggested a regional triage center devoted to dealing with people who would be better served by treatment instead of jailing.

“These units are intended to have law enforcement friendly policies where an officer drops somebody off and can leave the person at the center,” he said.

Jails, he said, should be used for people who “commit violent offenses, heinous crimes, and regardless of their mental health status they should be incarcerated.”

Currently, Adams noted that incoming inmates to Butler County Prison are assessed and, if needed, referred to Cindy McCrea for help.

McCrea works for Wexford Health Services, a third-party health care provider that specializes in jail health care.

But this treatment is limited since the jail doesn’t have an on-site psychiatrist, Adams said. Instead, the jail offers webcam sessions with off-site doctors who can order psychiatric medication if needed, Adams said.

Treatment Courts Provide Alternatives to Jail

Butler’s number of inmates is the lowest it has been in more than a decade. And in an attempt to reduce the number of jailed people suffering from mental health illnesses, Butler County’s legal structure offers three “specialty” courts that provide alternatives to jail.

One of the courts, Behavioral Health Court, is designed for people with varying diagnoses of mental illness. Instead of being jailed they are given treatment and tools for rehabilitation and readjustment.

But the program has its limitations. In total, 12 people have graduated from the Behavioral Health Court since 2015, when the program started.

At the end of February another two will graduate, according to Erin McGarrity, who works with Adult Probation and Parole and is a Behavioral Health Court officer.

Parker said that treatment courts can be helpful in preventing people from committing further crimes but they are limited by their ability to prevent people from turning to crime in the first place.

“I’m certainly a fan of treatment courts,” he said. “The idea of treatment court is it’s pretty intensive and graduates only a few people a year. Often times what we see is that a person will spend 24 months before they’re released of their charges.”

Getting into Behavioral Health Court, which started in 2015, requires a defendant to apply for it, much like a job application.

The process begins with a referral and then a court case manager with the specialty court will consult with McGarrity and the applicant to see if the defendant will be accepted. The requirements for Behavioral Health Court are numerous, including a willingness to accept the treatment.

McGarrity said she understands criticism of the specialty courts not being accepting enough.

“Sometimes, yes, the individual has a mental health illness issue, but the program is designed for those who have the highest risk, the highest need and the capability of being successful in the program,” McGarrity said.

And alternatively, “Sometimes people are too sick and too mentally ill to meet the expectations of the program,” McGarrity said.

Defendants get harsher plea deals if they fail the program

Those who are accepted must plead guilty to a number of agreed upon charges. They are also put on a harsher plea deal that will be used if they fail out of the program. The District Attorney’s office must also agree to the deal.

“It’s much harsher,” McGarrity said about the plea deals they have to accept if they fail out.

“It’s usually a more serious sentence than if they just went the regular court route. So it’s usually a prison sentence.”

McGarrity noted that the other two courts, Drug Treatment and Veterans, deal with defendants suffering from mental health issues, too.

“Every single treatment court has participants in them that also have mental illnesses,” McGarrity said. “People who we take generally have a lengthy history with mental illness”

For Drug Treatment Court, which started in 2011, there are a total of 37 graduates. And in Veterans Court, which started in 2012, there are a total of 33 graduates.

Butler County criminal lawyer Dennis McCurdy said he likes the idea of the specialty courts but “my experience with the specialty court is a lot of rejection. The specialty court needs to take five to six times more people.”

“There needs to be a broader acceptance of candidates,” McCurdy said. “we’re filling the prisons with people who have mental health issues and that helps no one. We’ve turned cops into mental health first-responders and jails into last and final responses.”

Adams hopes that, ultimately, inmates with serious mental health problems have some place other to go other than jails, noting that she is part of a countywide committee involved in “Stepping Up,” a national organization devoted to reducing the number of mentally ill people being put in jail.

More than 425 counties, including Butler, have passed a resolution or proclamation to participate in the initiative, according to information provided by the organization.

Participation allows counties to gain support from public and private entities and the initiative builds on the many innovative and proven practices being implemented across the country.

“The challenge right now is having an appropriate place to divert them to — such as forensic beds in hospitals, psychiatric hospitals/treatment centers and long-term structured rehab type settings,” she wrote in an email.

Eric Jankiewicz, a former Crime Report news intern, is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle and a 2018 Rural Justice Reporting Fellow. This is a condensed and slightly edited version of the second in an occasional series of articles on the county jail. The complete version is available here.

For the Mentally Troubled, a Pennsylvania Jail Offers ‘High-Visibility’ Cells syndicated from https://immigrationattorneyto.wordpress.com/