I had originally written and planned to post information about my personal experiences of the heartaches and frustrations that I encountered as a family member of a loved one with mental illness who lacked insight and did not take prescribed medications. The process of watching someone you love deteriorate until they reach an acceptable level of dangerousness, as determined by a law, which requires "clear and present danger to self and others" as the law in Pennsylvania does, is the most unbearable experience that anyone could ever live through.
However, I then read an article this morning from a paper in Virginia: http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/news.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2007-10-30-0149.html. The incident is tragic enough, but what really drew me to want to write about this terribly sad incident, instead of my own personal experiences, were some of the comments posted under that article, such as:
Posted October 30, 2007 @ 09:55 AM by Anonymous
after reading this man's rap sheet i too am finding compassion a hard sell. i agree the family dropped the ball, this man needed to be under lock and key somewhere and his family should own up to their responcibility.
Posted October 30, 2007 @ 09:07 AM by Anonymous
I find it incredible that the man's sister, and whatever other family members, are blaming the community for their own failure. She knew he was sick and was required to take his medication. She states she was not his guardian, so she is indicating a third party was supposed to be his guardian thereby releasing her from any burdens. His family should be held liable for neglect and endangering the public by not providing the proper supervision and care for their own family member.
Posted October 30, 2007 @ 06:49 AM by OpEd
What's up with this man's sister? Somebody dropped the ball? Where does family responsibility come in? Perhaps I'm jumping the gun here, but it sounds like she was blaming the "system." If the community of family and aquaintances knows about this guy, then they are the first line of defense, not the overburdened mental and social services departments.
I was shocked and appalled by these comments because, as a family member who repeatedly waited and was frustrated by the mental health system when treatment was desperately required for my own daughter, only to be stopped by both lack of enough intensive services and our state's requirement for "clear and present danger to self or others" before she could receive the treatment she needed, it hit me hard to think that others would even consider blaming this family.
As a NAMI advocate, I was able to successfully work for the establishment of more intensive services in our county, and Bucks County was the first Program of Assertive Community Treatment (PACT, a.k.a. ACT) established in Pennsylvania that follows the national standards set up by the original program.
However, the extreme difficulty of obtaining timely services for family members when they desperately need them is still blocked by our current treatment law, the Mental Health Procedures Act of 1976, that still requires a level of dangerousness that no one should ever have to wait for, before they can receive treatment. I am now working with the Treatment Advocacy Center (TAC) to change our law, through the proposed Senate Bill 226.
Blame and pointing a finger at families who try desperately to get help for their loved ones and who often are involved in advocating for the changes needed will not resolve the issue of ensuring that someone with a mental illness receives the treatment they need. Enacting common-sense, timely assisted outpatient treatment (AOT) laws with adequate services and programs, as well as providing sufficient support in a hospital when needed, is what should happen.
As John Snook, Esq. from TAC stated about this tragedy in Virginia, "Unfortunately, the reports we've heard echo what families tell us far too often," Snook said. "Even when an individual has been ordered by a court to maintain their treatment, adequate supervision in the community simply isn't taking place."
I invite you to post your thoughts and comments on this issue. Do you think that the family was to blame? Should we be looking for changes to our mental health systems and laws?
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Friday, October 26, 2007
Mentally Ill Offenders: Do They Belong in Prison?
Recently, my son Todd, who suffers with schizophrenia and remains unmedicated, was arrested for simple harassment. When he failed to appear for a hearing, a bench warrant was issued, and he was arrested. After spending 3 weeks in prison for something he didn’t quite understand, Todd finally had someone call me, and I posted bail. He was then scheduled for trial.
When my daughter told this to her therapist, the therapist’s response was that maybe Todd would be better off in prison because he might then get some type of treatment for his illness.
As of 2003, approximately one in six, and three times as many men as women, in United States prisons suffer with serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression. In fact, the rate of mental illness in the prison population is reported to be three times higher than in the general population. And for those who suffer serious mental illnesses, prison can be the worst of places. Often victimized, exploited, and sexually abused, mentally ill prisoners are not uncommonly punished by the prison staff for their symptoms such as being noisy, refusing orders, or even attempting suicide.
As for treatment, while prison mental health services have improved over the past two decades, the number of men and women entering prison has outrun the availability of services, and public officials have been unwilling to provide the funds necessary to ensure adequate treatment for those with mental illnesses. And so, prisons have become the new mental institutions. http://www.geocities.com/stargazers_here/mental_illness.html
Although Todd’s “offense” was shaking his finger in the face of a police officer, there are those with mental illnesses whose offenses may warrant some sort of incarnation. However, these individuals should at least be housed in facilities designed and funded to meet their mental health needs.
When all is said and done, the fact is that current psychiatric laws forbid us from committing our mentally ill loves ones into treatment unless there is “clear and present danger.” The flip side is that then the mentally ill are punished because they can’t function according to society’s rules and expectations. It’s a catch-22.
I disagree with my daughter’s therapist.
What do you think?
When my daughter told this to her therapist, the therapist’s response was that maybe Todd would be better off in prison because he might then get some type of treatment for his illness.
As of 2003, approximately one in six, and three times as many men as women, in United States prisons suffer with serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression. In fact, the rate of mental illness in the prison population is reported to be three times higher than in the general population. And for those who suffer serious mental illnesses, prison can be the worst of places. Often victimized, exploited, and sexually abused, mentally ill prisoners are not uncommonly punished by the prison staff for their symptoms such as being noisy, refusing orders, or even attempting suicide.
As for treatment, while prison mental health services have improved over the past two decades, the number of men and women entering prison has outrun the availability of services, and public officials have been unwilling to provide the funds necessary to ensure adequate treatment for those with mental illnesses. And so, prisons have become the new mental institutions. http://www.geocities.com/stargazers_here/mental_illness.html
Although Todd’s “offense” was shaking his finger in the face of a police officer, there are those with mental illnesses whose offenses may warrant some sort of incarnation. However, these individuals should at least be housed in facilities designed and funded to meet their mental health needs.
When all is said and done, the fact is that current psychiatric laws forbid us from committing our mentally ill loves ones into treatment unless there is “clear and present danger.” The flip side is that then the mentally ill are punished because they can’t function according to society’s rules and expectations. It’s a catch-22.
I disagree with my daughter’s therapist.
What do you think?
Monday, October 22, 2007
Why Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT)
I am a mother of two lovely, intelligent adult daughters, a full-time employee at a local community college, and an advocate for programs, services, and laws that would help individuals with a diagnosis of a severe mental illness and their families and friends who care about them. I have been a member of NAMI since 2000, a member of the LVF PACT Advisory Committee since 2002, and am currently the Co-Chair of the PA Treatment Law Advocacy Group. I am fortunate to have the support and advice of the Treatment Advocacy Center for our advocacy effort to change our treatment laws in Pennsylvania http://www.psychlaws.org/StateActivity/pennsylvania.htm.
I decided to start this blog in an effort to bring about an open discussion on assisted outpatient treatment (AOT) laws, such as the one I am advocating for in Pennsylvania, Senate Bill 226, which is modeled after New York’s Kendra’s Law. We hope to discuss why AOT laws are important for the small minority of people with a diagnosis of a severe mental illness who may also lack insight and stop treatments that have been prescribed. SB 226 would benefit those individuals with a mental illness who have a history of repeated hospitalizations or incarcerations and also their family and friends, who care about them and who often find themselves in the position of having to stand by helplessly, until a level of "clear and present danger to self or others" is reached, as required by our current law. It truly is a heartbreaking and frightening experience to watch a family member with an untreated mental illness as they wait to reach that precarious level of dangerousness, while hoping that nothing too serious or irreversible occurs.
You will also be seeing some posts on this site from a fellow advocate, Dorothy, such as one posted on October 21. Both Dorothy and I are two of the family members who testified at the public hearing on SB 226 on October 2, 2007 in Harrisburg http://senatorerickson.com/health/100207/agenda-100207.htm. Dorothy’s unique perspective and writing style will, I am certain, help to bring more clarity to the reasons behind why assisted outpatient treatment laws can help the small minority of people who would benefit from them.
I hope you will decide to join our conversation and post comments whenever you have an opinion on the topic that is posted. Or, please send us your ideas of topics that you would like to talk about.
A better understanding of the issues related to mental illness can only benefit all of us, whether it is the person with a mental illness, the friends and family members of that person, or society at large. I hope you will become a participant in helping to reach this better understanding.
I decided to start this blog in an effort to bring about an open discussion on assisted outpatient treatment (AOT) laws, such as the one I am advocating for in Pennsylvania, Senate Bill 226, which is modeled after New York’s Kendra’s Law. We hope to discuss why AOT laws are important for the small minority of people with a diagnosis of a severe mental illness who may also lack insight and stop treatments that have been prescribed. SB 226 would benefit those individuals with a mental illness who have a history of repeated hospitalizations or incarcerations and also their family and friends, who care about them and who often find themselves in the position of having to stand by helplessly, until a level of "clear and present danger to self or others" is reached, as required by our current law. It truly is a heartbreaking and frightening experience to watch a family member with an untreated mental illness as they wait to reach that precarious level of dangerousness, while hoping that nothing too serious or irreversible occurs.
You will also be seeing some posts on this site from a fellow advocate, Dorothy, such as one posted on October 21. Both Dorothy and I are two of the family members who testified at the public hearing on SB 226 on October 2, 2007 in Harrisburg http://senatorerickson.com/health/100207/agenda-100207.htm. Dorothy’s unique perspective and writing style will, I am certain, help to bring more clarity to the reasons behind why assisted outpatient treatment laws can help the small minority of people who would benefit from them.
I hope you will decide to join our conversation and post comments whenever you have an opinion on the topic that is posted. Or, please send us your ideas of topics that you would like to talk about.
A better understanding of the issues related to mental illness can only benefit all of us, whether it is the person with a mental illness, the friends and family members of that person, or society at large. I hope you will become a participant in helping to reach this better understanding.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
The Power of Prayer: Assisted Outpatient Treatment
“Ask and ye shall receive,” was one of many quotes from the Bible I heard from my mother as I was growing up.
That was a long time ago. Now, I am a mother, a medical writer at a pharmaceutical company, a NAMI member, and a recent advocate for not only those who suffer with mental illness but also for their families whose lives are often even darker than their mentally ill loved ones.
I have two adult daughters and an adult son. My son, Todd, suffers from schizophrenia, and every day I pray that something will happen to convince him to take his medication. But my prayers remain unanswered. What I ask for remains elusive. Although I often feel alone with my fears, anxieties, and heartbreak, I know I am not. I know there are others out there like me who go about their daily lives, or try to, under the cloud of loved ones who refuse medication because they lack the insight to know that they are ill. In many ways, we all walk together through this most turbulent of storms. And yet, we each walk alone.
I would like to change that.
On October 2, 2007, I traveled alone to Harrisburg, a sort of journey beyond my boundaries of comfort, to testify at the public hearing on SB 226. There, I met another advocate for assisted outpatient treatment (AOT), Jeanette Castello, who many of you already know. I was impressed with her dedication and fortitude to the issues surrounding mental illness even though her daughter is no longer in the danger zone of being untreated. Jeanette’s strength and passion and the feelings that we shared during our first conversations motivated me to move past my prayers to something more.
I’m not sure what “more” is yet. But I have many stories about my life as a mother of someone with severe mental illness to share with you. Some stories are probably strikingly similar to yours. Other of my stories may move past bizarre. Some stories reflect actions I’m not so proud of. Some feelings I wish I didn’t have.
Jeanette and I have the same intention—to invite you to share your views, experiences, and concerns, to listen, to be heard, to learn, all in an effort to foster a better understanding of the issues that surround mental illness, particularly the plight of family members and how AOT would help. If there is only one person in the world with mental illness who remains untreated, it’s not a minority; it’s one too many.
Having said all that, maybe, in some ways that I don’t quite understand yet and so, fail to be able to verbalize, our interchanges on Families for Timely Treatment Laws Blog will be the answer to my prayers, maybe your prayers as well.
That was a long time ago. Now, I am a mother, a medical writer at a pharmaceutical company, a NAMI member, and a recent advocate for not only those who suffer with mental illness but also for their families whose lives are often even darker than their mentally ill loved ones.
I have two adult daughters and an adult son. My son, Todd, suffers from schizophrenia, and every day I pray that something will happen to convince him to take his medication. But my prayers remain unanswered. What I ask for remains elusive. Although I often feel alone with my fears, anxieties, and heartbreak, I know I am not. I know there are others out there like me who go about their daily lives, or try to, under the cloud of loved ones who refuse medication because they lack the insight to know that they are ill. In many ways, we all walk together through this most turbulent of storms. And yet, we each walk alone.
I would like to change that.
On October 2, 2007, I traveled alone to Harrisburg, a sort of journey beyond my boundaries of comfort, to testify at the public hearing on SB 226. There, I met another advocate for assisted outpatient treatment (AOT), Jeanette Castello, who many of you already know. I was impressed with her dedication and fortitude to the issues surrounding mental illness even though her daughter is no longer in the danger zone of being untreated. Jeanette’s strength and passion and the feelings that we shared during our first conversations motivated me to move past my prayers to something more.
I’m not sure what “more” is yet. But I have many stories about my life as a mother of someone with severe mental illness to share with you. Some stories are probably strikingly similar to yours. Other of my stories may move past bizarre. Some stories reflect actions I’m not so proud of. Some feelings I wish I didn’t have.
Jeanette and I have the same intention—to invite you to share your views, experiences, and concerns, to listen, to be heard, to learn, all in an effort to foster a better understanding of the issues that surround mental illness, particularly the plight of family members and how AOT would help. If there is only one person in the world with mental illness who remains untreated, it’s not a minority; it’s one too many.
Having said all that, maybe, in some ways that I don’t quite understand yet and so, fail to be able to verbalize, our interchanges on Families for Timely Treatment Laws Blog will be the answer to my prayers, maybe your prayers as well.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Welcome to a Family Perspective Blog on Mental Health Treatment Laws
Welcome to a blog on the issues that many families face when a member of their family has a severe mental illness, possibly lacks insight, and does not seek the treatment they may need.
I hope to use this blog as an opportunity for anyone who is interested in this topic to share information, express concerns, offer solutions, and hopefully educate others about the many issues involved when a family member suffers from a mental illness and does not receive timely treatment.
I hope to use this blog as an opportunity for anyone who is interested in this topic to share information, express concerns, offer solutions, and hopefully educate others about the many issues involved when a family member suffers from a mental illness and does not receive timely treatment.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)