Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
In this country, we have a tendency to let people fall apart or fall thru the cracks when they have mental issues.
TBO.com - Entertainment From AP (broken link)
Britney is just the latest sad example.
In Miami, they have hundreds of people with mental issues, some of them considered mentally insane. They have no plans in place to help them, so instead they toss them into jail.
Is this really how we want to treat these members of our society?
People with mental health issues should be treated the same as people having any other illness ie:if it becomes mandatory for people with diabetes for example to receive health care then it should be be mandatory for people with mental illness to receive health care-if it is not mandatory for diabetes etc than it should not be mandatory for mental health illnesses.
That said,there should be high quality mental health physicians and services in every town/state for people that voluntarily choose to receive treatment for their mental health illnesses.
People with mental health issues should be treated the same as people having any other illness ie:if it becomes mandatory for people with diabetes for example to receive health care then it should be be mandatory for people with mental illness to receive health care-if it is not mandatory for diabetes etc than it should not be mandatory for mental health illnesses.
That said,there should be high quality mental health physicians and services in every town/state for people that voluntarily choose to receive treatment for their mental health illnesses.
But I think you begin down a slippery slope, who determines if someone is psychotic, and if they are, whether the condition is ongoing or temporary, what degree of treatment is needed, how do you compel people to take medications, and to keep to the recommended dosage, who pays for the treatments and medications, what are the penalties for people who refuse treatment? Where do you stop at mandatory health care--only for people who are an imminent danger to themselves or others, or what about obsessive-compulsives, or people with phobias, or people with eating disorders, or people with personality disorders? What constitutes danger, what about people's privacy, etc.?
It would be nice if there were well-qualified health professionals available in every community to provide assistance, but I don't see that happening with the healthcare system the US currently has in place.
Something needs to be done because what they are doing just isn't working. To many people with these "mental" problems are killing innocent people who are just living their normal everyday lives. These people are falling through the cracks and innocent people are paying the price. I think they need to reopen all the mental institiutions and keep them locked up where they are safe and the rest of society is safe from their anger/warped thinking.
Sure, it is a illness like any other but the effects of mental illness KILLS and harms others where cancer, diabities, heart problems do not kill innocent people. Many of them do not want to take the medicines they need because of the unpleasent side effects so that leave us at the mercy of their mental illness when they finally snap, pick up a gun and go to school or the mall!
But I think you begin down a slippery slope, who determines if someone is psychotic, and if they are, whether the condition is ongoing or temporary, what degree of treatment is needed, how do you compel people to take medications, and to keep to the recommended dosage, who pays for the treatments and medications, what are the penalties for people who refuse treatment? Where do you stop at mandatory health care--only for people who are an imminent danger to themselves or others, or what about obsessive-compulsives, or people with phobias, or people with eating disorders, or people with personality disorders? What constitutes danger, what about people's privacy, etc.?
It would be nice if there were well-qualified health professionals available in every community to provide assistance, but I don't see that happening with the healthcare system the US currently has in place.
DC
Well said.
Perhaps in the extreme example-when a person suffering(they are suffering ie:it is not something they chose) from a severe mental illness that has been making threats to others or has made some statement/s to indicate that he/she could endanger someones life,or they told someone they were purchasing/had a weapon etc then it may be necessary to have mandatory treatment for them but not as a general law for all mental illness because then as DC at the Ridge stated its going to leave open to interpretation questions such as who decides if a person is psychotic,people being inaccurately detained/treated for a mental illness when they have mental symptoms caused by an organic illness etc
Detaining people is expensive and goes against the American ethics of freedom and liberty. When we arrest people for criminal behavior, we often release them while they are awaiting trial unless they are deemed a serious threat. Someone who is delusional or psychotic isn't necessarily a threat, there are degrees of dysfunction, and while we would like all people to enjoy mental health, the fact is that all behavior falls within a range, some behavior we define as eccentric, some as crazy, some as criminal. There is no line between eccentricity and individualism, it is a judgment call. And it is a judgment call to determine if someone's behavior is insane or merely socially unacceptable. I just personally have issues with a society that dictates what is normal and then requires the people living in it fall into those parameters. I worry that to a degree we are already doing this when school districts can demand that children be medicated for hyperactivity or ADD because whose diagnosing these children, teachers or doctors. Or when schools measure BMI and send letters home. Will the parents of children who are obese and who fail to reduce their children's weight face legal charges such as child abuse? I worry that we are halfway down the path to criminalizing smokers, and leaning that way when it comes to obesity. I find it worrisome that pharmaceutical companies seem to be far more interested in treating chronic conditions rather than curing diseases, and that we are steadily thinning the ranks of the healthy by restricting what is considered healthy (ie healthy blood pressure, healthy cholesterol levels, healthy weight). When "normal" becomes a minority of a population, then it's time to re-address our perceptions of what "normal" is. So when you take people who have already been marginalized such as the poor and the homeless, and mandate they be evaluated for their mental health status and treated accordingly, I think that lots of questions need to be asked. Because on the surface it seems that people who have mental health problems would benefit and society would be better for it. But who else benefits?
For my book group, we just read a book called "Crazy" (subtitle, something like "A Father's Journey Through ... Mental Illness"). A journalist's 23 year old son has a psychotic episode, breaks into a house, and ends up in the criminal justice system. The father then decides to research the issue. Very thought provoking, and really makes a strong case for getting psychotics on medication. But when I read the poll question here, I think "yikes, WHO is going to be deciding who is crazy?" It could really get out of hand.
In this country, we have a tendency to let people fall apart or fall thru the cracks when they have mental issues.
TBO.com - Entertainment From AP (broken link)
Britney is just the latest sad example.
In Miami, they have hundreds of people with mental issues, some of them considered mentally insane. They have no plans in place to help them, so instead they toss them into jail.
Is this really how we want to treat these members of our society?
No. Absolutely not.
I believe that some of the mentally insaneness can be cured with help. Sometimes it takes alot of coaching, preeching, understanding, supervising, etc.. Now, is this a drug problem or a mental problem with Brittney?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Unite
