Avoiding Victimization

I started advocated several years ago for changes to the Mental Health Procedures Act in our state that currently requires someone to be a danger to self or others before treatment is provided. Having experienced the heartache and tragedy of watching my family member go through numerous crisis situations followed by involuntary hospitalizations, I knew something had to change.

From the perspective of law enforcement, who often become involved when someone with a mental illness is in crisis, Dr. Laurence Miller has written an article that appeared on PoliceOne.Com news on May 12, 2008, P1 Exclusive Series: Dealing with mentally ill citizens on patrol.

The part that hit home for me and my main reason for my assisted outpatient treatment (AOT) advocacy efforts is the last sentence in the first paragraph under "Law enforcement response to the mentally ill," which states "However, the mentally ill are far more often the victims of crime than the perpetrators, and are three times as likely to be crime victims as ordinary citizens."

I think that people who have symptoms of severe mental illness and are not able to remain in treatment because they lack the insight to understand the need to take prescribed medications fall into the category of being "three times as likely to be crime victims." Helping someone remain in treatment, even if that requires court ordered assisted outpatient treatment, can help individuals avoid dangerous situations that can lead to victimization.

California's Laura's Law

When another assisted outpatient treatment (AOT) bill, Laura's Law, was passed in California in 2002, it didn't include a provision that would require every county to enact it, only those that chose to do so. Advocates in that state are now working to see this legislation in place so that those with severe mental illness and lack of insight will receive the timely treatment they deserve.

One of the advocates made this observation in a post called, Laura's Law--what is it and should we enact it?:

"It seems that it is a very reasonable bill. People who are deteriorating can engage in violent acts towards themselves and/or others because their ability to reason is seriously damaged. Without medication, I don't see how they can stabilize and come back to reality. It seems harsh to force them to take medications, but the alternative could be a disaster. It takes a lot to meet all the criteria for involuntary treatment, and I think the people that meet it should not be walking around without a good deal of assistance. "