Hey guys! My name is Heather, and my ex-boyfriend recently got diagnosed with HD. He's 28 years old. We have a child together, and although we are no longer in a relationship, we are still good friends. I'm reaching out to you today to see if anyone can help guide me in the right direction for resources or whatnot for something that we are dealing with. It's kind of a long story, but I will do my best to get straight to the point, because we are desperate for help.

Growing up, he had behavioral issues that continued to be out of control into his adulthood, which is leading us to think that he possibly could of had JHD. About 3 years ago, his father started having sudden symptoms of the mood swings and uncontrollable muscle movements. He ended up testing positive for HD. My ex decided to get himself tested when his erratic behavior and poor decision making got so out of control that he ended up getting arrested. He is currently serving time in a state prison.

He hasn't been receiving his proper medication that he needs. On top of the anxiety and other HD related symptoms, he also has high blood pressure. Due to the prison overcrowding, they moved him into a single cell where is is completely isolated for 23 hours a day. He didn't do anything to get into trouble, it's not like solitary confinement, but it's the same difference if you ask me. He calls me daily, and his anxiety is through the roof, so bad in fact that he begins to have random nosebleeds; and he's saying that his symptoms are starting to get worse. Basically my question is, who can we get in touch with to try and get him out of there and maybe into a more health care related facility? I'm not saying "set him free" by any means, we both know that he has to serve his time one way or another. But being in this environment is exacerbating his symptoms and we all want him to live as long as possible. Please, please, please help steer us in some sort of direction. We don't know where to start.

I wouldn't know where to begin either. a quick google and I found this document that may help...I just don't have the time to read through to determine what type of information is provided

[static.nicic.gov]

Can you PM me and let me know what prison he is in? I was on the board of a prison advocacy agency for many years. I know the resources in my state and may be able to network and find advocates in yours. This is not going to be easy. The medical treatment of offenders is a disgrace in this country. I was on the phone everyday for two weeks trying to get the infirmary to prescribe antibiotics for a neighbor's incarcerated son's serious ear infection. I kept being told that he was an addict (yes, I know that) and faking this to get pain medication (except that antibiotics aren't pain medication.)

In the meantime, call the Department of Corrections and ask if they have an ombudsman to deal with medical issues.

Wow. Marsha never ceases to amaze me with her experience and knowledge ( you too Steve)...

I wish you luck with your quest. You are in a good place. Be honest and up front to get the best assistance.

Mike

Your post reminded my of a program I listened on NPR awhile ago. It was an interview with an author Adrian Raine who wrote a book The Anatomy of Violence: The Biological Roots of Crime. I haven't read the book yet, but I plan to. I really can't give a comprehensive outline of the program since it was so long ago, but one point I seem to remember him making is that there he's studied criminal's brain scans. He sees certain atypical things. Some have abnormal areas of the brain affected which deal with emotional regulation issues (maybe like ADHD and they get into a rage for example) vs. other criminals who actually are calculating and planning. He made the case that those individuals who seem to be cold and calculating should be judged differently and perhaps housed separately from others who are the hot-heads. There is a lot more to the story, and this is just my lame way of telling it. Check it out for yourself since it seems interesting. I think the main point is that behavior has many components (not just bad parenting etc) and biology is one factor. This is a separate link that did scans of at-risk kids. They feel these abnormal brain at-risk kids can be helped and re-wired for better society choices.
[www.livescience.com]
I suppose this is getting a little off topic. I'm not saying that anyone who has HD is going to develop a criminal mind. But the point I'm making is that HD does affect people in different ways. It is a tricky situation when their behavior gets them in trouble with the law. How much of this is the disease based in real biology? When they're incarcerated, a person affected with a neurologic disease should have considerations for different housing/treatment in my opinion.