Things are looking better and better. First, I have the ultimate power to rescind my "72 hour letter" that led to the court date, so the psychiatrists here are willing to negotiate an agreement with me for outpatient care such that I can be discharged when those goals have been met. As you might have guessed, this is a good thing because, despite my many uncharacteristically pitched battles with the staff here, I am not eager to fight this institution for my release if I can avoid it.
In short, emotionally, I need to leave here on good terms with these people who saved my life.
However, my distrust is still there, so I have not yet annulled the letter because I want to think about it for awhile, but I think I will rescind it on Monday, unless something happens that destroys my little bit of trust in the staff here.
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If you withdraw the letter, can you reinstate it later? If so, it seems you should have everything to gain and nothing to lose. The upsurge of support for you--including the offer of aid from two lawyers--puts you in a strong position, I should think, for navigating your way out of your current situation.
What good news! If you can do the letter again if need be, I would agree that leaving without a court fight is the best way out. And I'm so glad to hear they're willing to work with you. You're not alone - I hope they understand that. Love and hope to you.
I hope you can get legal advice before you rescind the 72-hour letter. Is there any way you can negotiate the agreement *before* you annul the letter?
Try to get one of your lawyers as a witness to the agreement! I agree that it would be much better to leave on good terms, but at the same time, they need to show that they can negotiate, short of submitting to a court order. Notably, if they're threatening to cut off all treatment if you go through with the hearing, that's not "willing to negotiate", it's just bullying.
To put it another way, what services are they willing to offer regardless of whether you're willing to remain as an inpatient? Also, they should be willing and able to tell you up front (before you rescind the letter) exactly what would convince them to release you, even if you weren't poised to force the issue. That's where you start negotiating from.