CNN Series: America's Mental Health Crisis

SunofaBeach14

I'd just like to say kudos to the CNN producers responsible for this series for finally focusing attention on this crisis, but it is long overdue.

http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2014/08/health/mental-illness-treatment/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

I won't cut and past the entire article but here's a quote. The article is worth reading.

Often, family members bear witness to their loved one's unraveling -- and are stymied by a system that is structured for the back end, to hospitalize and treat mentally ill people after they become a danger to themselves or others.

Think of it this way: What if your doctor told you that you had cancer, but treatment would begin only after it reached stage 4.

Families often face an insurmountable obstacle when the mentally ill person turns 18. That is the age when parents can get shut out of their children's health care decisions. Doctors can no longer legally speak to mom and dad without consent. And treatment cannot be forced on a person who has the right to refuse it.

"I know that treatment works. Unfortunately, I see it after a horrific crime has happened," says William Stokes, who until recently was Maine's deputy attorney general, with his office handling every killing in the state.
Or as Joe Bruce told me: "It shouldn't take killing your mom to get proper treatment."

'No guarantees,' but no recidivism

Maine's program for treating the severely mentally ill has been around more than 50 years. State officials describe their rigorous process of assessing patients like Chuck Petrucelly, treating them -- and returning them to society.

Read full story »

There are few bipartisan issues left in Washington, yet Republicans and Democrats alike insist changes to the nation's mental health system are long overdue. The debate isn't about whether reform is needed; it's about how best to implement it -- a delicate balance between treatment, civil rights and public safety.

U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy, a Republican from Pennsylvania, has proposed the most sweeping mental health bill in two decades. It's called the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act, or HR 3717. Among its key provisions: making it easier to commit someone involuntarily and allowing more parental involvement in a young adult's care.

Murphy is a psychologist who remains adamant that a young person undergoing psychosis or other delusions would be best served by a family member who can help in the recovery. Critics charge that the bill will trample individuals' rights and cause more harm than good. Murphy remains unbowed. After the mass killings in Santa Barbara, California, in May, he said simply, "What makes these painful episodes so confounding is the reality that so many tragedies involving a person with a mental illness are entirely preventable."

Amy Bruce's death was preventable. She tirelessly sought help for her son -- even after she no longer had a say in his care.
At 24, Will Bruce became a symbol of the broken mental health care system.

gypsy_spirit

The question asked of my previous clients: Are you a danger to yourself or others? If not, (and that was very subjective) they were not seen for sometimes up to 6 weeks. I would not have made a referral for no reason. A backwards approach for sure.

Thanks for sharing this, Beach.

Cryptonomnomicon

bump

because this touches so many peoples lives and yet is rarely understood.

RaspberryKeytoneBoondoggle

That is a great article. I think change will occur when people become more comfortable talking and articles like this help. Mental Health cuts in funding are easy to slip by the public because there is minimal advocacy, and most people are uncomfortable with the issues even when there is an attempt to educate. It would be a great start if we could just discriminate less and provide adequate professionals to help people. We can make a difference and can start lifting the stigma by simply educating ourselves.

Meerataila

If society isn't willing to ensure access to outpatient care first to everyone regardless of insurance and income then this will simply lead to mental institutions designed to warehouse people like prisons do. To really help people we really have to step up and fix our healthcare system overall, in every state, for every medical condition.