Community Chat

[RoughDraft]

For some reason, mental illness is "shame-based." Families tend to want to not see what is happening.

In my grandparents' day, those with psychological issues, were often confined to the "back bedroom" so the neighbors didn't see what was going on.

Then we built vast psychiatric institutions, where the ill were warehoused for years and unfortunately the "science" wasn't there to even begin to understand what was wrong. Then laws were enacted giving the mentally ill the right to refuse treatment and the instutions closed. Satellite clinics were thought to be the way to go, but if an adult refuses help, there is very little anyone can do.

Mental health medications and research into the causes have always been on the bottom of the support list. Doctors, mental health workers and clinics are constantly scrambling to find enough funding to keep going.

That's for starters.

[mgm2]

I don't know any people who would readily tell people, "hey, I have _______."

So animal lover, I don't know any.

In the same vein, the HC community are advising people to get their flu shots.

[RoughDraft]

On 1/19/2014 occasional rain said:

On 1/19/2014 JaneMarple said:

On 1/19/2014 Cakers1 said:

Not sure what you mean by making this political??

But the horrific death of that precious 4 year old by the hand of his babysitter in Manhatten is one that I remember the most in the past weeks.

It doesn't matter what political party one belongs to but we should be helping those who are mentally unstable and need help.

What do you want to do with them?

Some won't take their meds so what do we do with them?

Do you suggest we remove their children? Where do you want to put the children? Most foster care is bad what there is of it.

What does one do when a family member is physically ill or injured? If one cares at all, one tries to get help and see that treatment is obtained.

Unfortunately, there seems to be a disconnect when there is mental illness involved. Should laws be changed? It's a slippery slope when laws are enacted forcing treatment, yet in some cases this kind of illness can be a danger to both patients and community.

Not an easy solution, but one that should be dealt with.

[mgm2]

On 1/19/2014 RoughDraft said:

For some reason, mental illness is "shame-based." Families tend to want to not see what is happening.

In my grandparents' day, those with psychological issues, were often confined to the "back bedroom" so the neighbors didn't see what was going on.

Then we built vast psychiatric institutions, where the ill were warehoused for years and unfortunately the "science" wasn't there to even begin to understand what was wrong. Then laws were enacted giving the mentally ill the right to refuse treatment and the instutions closed. Satellite clinics were thought to be the way to go, but if an adult refuses help, there is very little anyone can do.

Mental health medications and research into the causes have always been on the bottom of the support list. Doctors, mental health workers and clinics are constantly scrambling to find enough funding to keep going.

That's for starters.

[occasionalrain]

Families do try to deal with it but are powerless, they can't force their members to take their meds, they can't commit them. What exactly can anyone do but change laws that will benefit some and harm many more.

There isn't enough money in the world to fix the drug addicted and that's a problem that rivals mental illness for families and society to somehow address.

When those who were against institutionalizing the mentally ill put them out in society they didn't think through what problems it would cause for everyone, the mentally ill and the innocent bystanders whose lives have been taken.

[occasionalrain]

On 1/19/2014 RoughDraft said:

On 1/19/2014 occasional rain said:

On 1/19/2014 JaneMarple said:

On 1/19/2014 Cakers1 said:

Not sure what you mean by making this political??

But the horrific death of that precious 4 year old by the hand of his babysitter in Manhatten is one that I remember the most in the past weeks.

It doesn't matter what political party one belongs to but we should be helping those who are mentally unstable and need help.

What do you want to do with them?

Some won't take their meds so what do we do with them?

Do you suggest we remove their children? Where do you want to put the children? Most foster care is bad what there is of it.

What does one do when a family member is physically ill or injured? If one cares at all, one tries to get help and see that treatment is obtained.

Unfortunately, there seems to be a disconnect when there is mental illness involved. Should laws be changed? It's a slippery slope when laws are enacted forcing treatment, yet in some cases this kind of illness can be a danger to both patients and community.

Not an easy solution, but one that should be dealt with.

By whom and how?

[Cecily Gerard]

On 1/19/2014 occasional rain said:

Families do try to deal with it but are powerless, they can't force their members to take their meds, they can't commit them. What exactly can anyone do but change laws that will benefit some and harm many more.

There isn't enough money in the world to fix the drug addicted and that's a problem that rivals mental illness for families and society to somehow address.

When those who were against institutionalizing the mentally ill put them out in society they didn't think through what problems it would cause for everyone, the mentally ill and the innocent bystanders whose lives have been taken.

Exactly. It is a plague that is at epidemic proportions with no answer as to how to fix it so the argument is moot.

[JaneMarple]

On 1/19/2014 Cecily Gerard said:

On 1/19/2014 occasional rain said:

Families do try to deal with it but are powerless, they can't force their members to take their meds, they can't commit them. What exactly can anyone do but change laws that will benefit some and harm many more.

There isn't enough money in the world to fix the drug addicted and that's a problem that rivals mental illness for families and society to somehow address.

When those who were against institutionalizing the mentally ill put them out in society they didn't think through what problems it would cause for everyone, the mentally ill and the innocent bystanders whose lives have been taken.

Exactly. It is a plague that is at epidemic proportions with no answer as to how to fix it so the argument is moot.

I don't believe so, actions need to be taken before family tragedies are the norm. The poor State Senator from Virginia was a victim of his son. The hospital did not have a bed for the young man the day before he shot his father and killed himself.

[RoughDraft]

On 1/19/2014 occasional rain said:

On 1/19/2014 RoughDraft said:

On 1/19/2014 occasional rain said:

On 1/19/2014 JaneMarple said:

On 1/19/2014 Cakers1 said:

Not sure what you mean by making this political??

But the horrific death of that precious 4 year old by the hand of his babysitter in Manhatten is one that I remember the most in the past weeks.

It doesn't matter what political party one belongs to but we should be helping those who are mentally unstable and need help.

What do you want to do with them?

Some won't take their meds so what do we do with them?

Do you suggest we remove their children? Where do you want to put the children? Most foster care is bad what there is of it.

What does one do when a family member is physically ill or injured? If one cares at all, one tries to get help and see that treatment is obtained.

Unfortunately, there seems to be a disconnect when there is mental illness involved. Should laws be changed? It's a slippery slope when laws are enacted forcing treatment, yet in some cases this kind of illness can be a danger to both patients and community.

Not an easy solution, but one that should be dealt with.

By whom and how?

How does anything get changed? Obviously, there's not a majority of people who relate to this subject or a movement would have been started a long time ago to research, investigate and change laws and treatments.

Only when something can no longer be denied or ignored, do people get off their seats and work with their legislators, doctors and researchers to find a solution. Obviously, most of the mentally ill are incapable of doing it for themselves. We should be the stewards for those who are helpless, but many pretend not to see what is happening unless it happens in their own families.

[Cecily Gerard]

Hogwash.