Community Chat

[mgm2]

"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."

How sad is that? (sigh)

[RoughDraft]

Case in point!

[mgm2]

" 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."

How true is this? I like the word, "steward."

[JaneMarple]

On 1/19/2014 Cecily Gerard said:

Hogwash.

How so?

[Snowpuppy]

In the 1980's we changed psych laws. We gave people scripts, sent them home and told them to take their meds and closed mental hospitals as barbaric.

That doesn't work.

So now what? We "probate" them back to the psych wards? They don't exist as they once did. And for how long? 30 days? 12 Months? And then when do we let them out? When they promise to take their meds and behave?

[Cecily Gerard]

On 1/19/2014 Snowpuppy said:

In the 1980's we changed psych laws. We gave people scripts, sent them home and told them to take their meds and closed mental hospitals as barbaric.

That doesn't work.

So now what? We "probate" them back to the psych wards? They don't exist as they once did. And for how long? 30 days? 12 Months? And then when do we let them out? When they promise to take their meds and behave?

Exactly and I would be willing to bet that the ones with all the answers have never had the privilege of the experience of dealing with a mentally ill loved one.

[mgm2]

It looks like many of us have plenty of questions and few answers.

[occasionalrain]

On 1/19/2014 Snowpuppy said:

In the 1980's we changed psych laws. We gave people scripts, sent them home and told them to take their meds and closed mental hospitals as barbaric.

That doesn't work.

So now what? We "probate" them back to the psych wards? They don't exist as they once did. And for how long? 30 days? 12 Months? And then when do we let them out? When they promise to take their meds and behave?

I suppose it would have to work like parole with monitoring but that would cost a fortune and when they didn't show up who would track them down? The police would need to have a whole department devoted to rounding them up at a cost.

The government has just so much money to spend without borrowing and that debt from past and present borrowing is putting our country in jeopardy. If money is allocated to one group it's deducted from another so where should cuts be made?

[Snowpuppy]

On 1/19/2014 occasional rain said:

On 1/19/2014 Snowpuppy said:

In the 1980's we changed psych laws. We gave people scripts, sent them home and told them to take their meds and closed mental hospitals as barbaric.

That doesn't work.

So now what? We "probate" them back to the psych wards? They don't exist as they once did. And for how long? 30 days? 12 Months? And then when do we let them out? When they promise to take their meds and behave?

I suppose it would have to work like parole with monitoring but that would cost a fortune and when they didn't show up who would track them down? The police would need to have a whole department devoted to rounding them up at a cost.

The government has just so much money to spend without borrowing and that debt from past and present borrowing is putting our country in jeopardy. If money is allocated to one group it's deducted from another so where should cuts be made?

Not taking your meds is not a criminal activity.

And what are we spending money on? More institutions?

[occasionalrain]

We're expected to be stewards as long as we contribute money and mind our own business. What would have happened if a neighbor wanted to get involved with the Andrea Yates family? Do you think anyone could have intervened?