We need to have a discussion about a difficult topic: What to do with the mentally ill

[fizzgig]

34. what to do WITH us?

how about what we can do to HELP us.

right now, the jail is the largest mental health facility in the county. and, no, most do not commit VIOLENT crimes, the commit non-violent offenses so that they can be taken to the jail. they get medicated and back on track (usually) and then get dropped back into a community with only patch-work system of treatment and support.

there are no-cost/sliding scale programs here, but the number of life-time visits you can get for both therapy and psychiatric care is rather limited. then there is the cost of the medication (one of mine is not generic and is more than $200 a month without my insurance). then there's the factor of homelessness. all services, at least in my experience, require proof of residency to receive assistance.

there are also a limited number of inpatient treatment beds and the state mental health facility is not used for everyday folks. inpatient care is also very expensive (i'm speaking from personal experience here).

beyond that, i think the situations in which a person can be forcibly committed should be limited. and i don't think that anyone should be forced to take medication.

i'm tired of the meme that just because someone is mentally ill, it automatically makes them violent. we are far more likely to a) be the victim of violence and b) be of threat to ourselves rather than others. these situations are the exception rather than the rule but are not treated as such.