Mentally Ill - Mandatory Treatment!?

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Institutionalization should only be reserved as the very last resort for certain category of desperate mentally-ill people to get proper and genuine medical treatments from the mental asylums and by no means that it should become a reason or an excuse for prolonged / long-term / life imprisonments / incarcerations for them

Yup, it's a very difficult subject. Nevertheless, in the case of institutionalization, that should only be reserved as the very last resort for the seriously mentally-ill people who have been fully verified and proven with no kin at all and completely with no means of self-supports at all and, for the decisive factor, whose acts and behaviours have been explicitly proven to be violently and aggressively dangerous to the other people.


In short, all these conditions and criteria should be fully fulfilled and met before determining / judging as to whether a particular mentally-ill people should get to be institutionalized or not by the related authorities.


Next, even when such pitiful mentally-ill people such as the types mentioned above are institutionalized, all the efforts and hard works, in line with the medical code of ethics of the related medical professionals, semi-professionals, paramedics and other personnel, should be fully channelled towards and completely focused upon providing the most effective medical therapies and treatments for these pitiful mentally-ill people who are institutionalized in such a way that their lives will be obviously very much better off prior to the institutionalization while their mental conditions would get to improve gradually step-by-step towards to goal of final full recoveries. All in all, such pitiful mentally-ill people such as the types mentioned above are institutionalized merely for the very and sole purpose of getting the proper medical treatments accordingly from the related medical professionals, semi-professionals, paramedics and other personnel.


Lastly, as to the pitiful mentally-ill people such as the types mentioned above that have no other choices but to be institutionalized as the very last resort due to the reasons mentioned above, they should be discharged immediately from such mental asylums once they have been treated accordingly and as soon as their emotions have become obviously stabilized.


All in all, I believe that the very concept of institutionalization of these pitiful mentally-ill people such as the types mentioned above should not be in any way get to sinisterly become prolonged / long-term / life imprisonments / incarcerations for them.

I also think this is scary because it would force someone to take meds that have really nasty side effects. I was on one drug that made me so drowsy, I missed almost a week's worth of college classes, on the lowest dose. Fortunately, I was able to quit that drug and I hate to think of what would have happened if I was forced to take it.

A great deal of discretions and considerations should be exercised carefully for such "mandatory treatment for mentally ill"


I also think this is scary because it would force someone to take meds that have really nasty side effects. I was on one drug that made me so drowsy, I missed almost a week's worth of college classes, on the lowest dose. Fortunately, I was able to quit that drug and I hate to think of what would have happened if I was forced to take it.


Mentally Ill - Mandatory Treatment!?

Well, my opinion is that a great deal of discretions and considerations should be exercised carefully in this case to decide which category of mentally-ill people should get the so-called "mandatory treatment", such as what I have explained in my prior post earlier on.

Anyway, such a so-called "mandatory treatment" absolutely and definitely shouldn't be forced unilaterally / one-sidedly beyond the self-will of those mentally-ill people who have the means to take care of themselves.

In short, if such a so-called "mandatory treatment for mentally ill" were to be enforced forcedly, pervasively and ubiquitously in an indiscriminate and peremptory manner upon and beyond the very individual free-wills of any persons "labelled", "defined" and "identified" as "mentally-ill", that is certainly a very obvious and blatant violation of the laws of the basic human rights, especially the main concepts of undisputed individual rights to life, liberty, privacy, freedom etc embodied in such human rights laws.

Besides, for the ones who have the necessary means to take care of themselves and at the same time are really facing certain mental problems and are accordingly diagnosed as such by the related medical professionals, then I believe that naturally they will do their very own part to fulfill their own individual responsibilities to get their illnesses treated totally by their own means and completely at their very own free-wills by personally seeking the appropriate treatments from the related medical professionals / personnel.

Whilst to the least extent, individual liberties, privacies and confidentialities etc are certainly protected and secured in this way.

I'm for it.

Though to be honest, I'm also for compulsory treatment for anyone with a transmittable illness or one that will affect/infect others around them.

Well, my opinion is that the concepts of basic human rights to life, liberty, privacy, freedom etc should be strictly complied as the very first and primary priority when considering and exercising such so-called "mandatory / compulsory treatment". In short, the most important basic human rights shouldn't be subordinated to something else or totally set aside under any circumstances

That's ok, you're entitled to your own view of things and don't get me wrong, I can see your point. I personally would put some things above liberty and freedom of speech, such as freedom from the risks a mentally ill or a contagious patient may pose to other people, but it is a very dodgy area.

Because it is a system that could be open to abuse, even though I believe some forms of treatment should be compulsory, I do believe that it is necessary for some people to have your views as well to keep the system in check, so you don't need to worry about me trying to change your mind.

My own point of view comes from working in a hospital myself a couple of years ago. In particular, I worked with people who came in with STIs. Most were students, but some were married men coming in to be diagnosed with chlamydia or HIV from mistresses or hookers. We couldn't force them to tell their wives or to undergo treatment... which quite frankly sucks as it puts innocent people (i.e their wives) at risk of permanent infertility and death. If it were up to me, I would make treatment for some forms of infectious diseases mandatory.

Actually, with mental health I'm less sure. I find it hard to believe that we can force people to take drugs for their minds but not their bodies, when the risk from the mentally ill is only mildly elevated above the norm.

This is really scary...exspecially with the degree of coruption there is in mental health and US in general. A person who is targeted, like a civil rights activist, could be labeled crazy and lose all rights as to what is done to her or him.
Just another way to strip us of any remaining rights after the Bush Era.

Well, one thing to take note here is that mental illnesses are totally not contagious / infectious such as the sexually transmitted diseases like AIDS, or other diseases like SARS, swine / bird flues etc. As such, I don't think it would in any way be appropriate to compare those diseases that are easily diffused or spread as from one person to another with mental illnesses.


Next, normally the society and most people would often and mostly tend to bear substantially biased, prejudiced and derogatory views in the very first place without really any valid reasons about the persons troubled with mental illnesses. As such, regardless of whether such mentally-ill people would actually pose any threats at all to any other people, they would quite often tend to be marginalized and sometimes ostracized by the society. And as such, that's particularly the main reasons why such people would tend to get easily bullied and abused under most circumstances, especially when it comes to the issue of institutionalization.


In addition, it is also widely known that despite the very fact that mental illnesses are totally not contagious / infectious at all in any ways such as the other STDs etc, the people troubled with mental illnesses would often tend to get very much more far worse treatments both from the societies and other medical institutions compared to the ones diagnosed with all those dangerous / deadly contagious / infectious diseases, especially in terms of those mentally-ill people that are institutionalized.


So, rationally given the fact that the people troubled by mental illnesses which are not contagious / infectious at all actually would pose far lesser threats in general to the societies and other people, would such a scenario of far worse treatments actually be fair to the mentally-ill people in general ?


Hence, that's why I said, a great deal of considerations and discretions involving the basic issues of human rights should be exercised carefully in this case to decide which category of mentally-ill people should get the so-called "mandatory treatment", such as what I have explained in my prior post earlier on.


Anyway, my opinion is such that since mental illnesses are totally not contagious / infectious at all, and as such, the ones troubled by mental illnesses would naturally pose far lesser threats and be far less dangerous to the societies and other people. And Hence, then why should they be discriminated, marginalized, ostracized and treated in numerous far unfairly ways than the ones diagnosed with deadly, contagious / infectious diseases such as AIDS, swine / bird flues etc who are without any doubts, would absolutely be far more dangerous than the mentally-ill people ?

I was searching for information on how to contest a ruling on this topic and found this site. I was glad, because I have a son that has symptoms of aspergers but has never been diagnosed. So I can learn about this for him and discuss my concerns about this topic.

I am trying to find out how to get a ruling overturned that was placed on me during my last hospitalization for an overdose, mostly due to my borderline personality disorder which can cause me to take an overdose in a very impulsive fashion. I had been overwhelmed the last few months with serious family issues and division related to my parents being both placed in a long term care facility, my serious financial issues, a legal battle and having to move because of harassment from some very nasty apartment managers. Speaking of the apartment issue, nothing like that had ever happened to me, so I had 2 weeks to move out. If that is not enough to stress anyone out, I don't know what is. My family is 98% unsupportive and I felt overwhelmed, alone and hopeless. Not to mention that I am 57, have no friends to speak of and live an isolated life. Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem(s). I am intelligent and no one I meet outside of my family knows that I even have a mental illness. Neighbors and I guess superficial type friends have no idea. I am completely independent and functional on my own.

To try to make a long story short, I had recently been in this mental health treatment facility, I drove myself there for help. So that was held against me. because I had been there twice since August and this was September. I could not go to the post hospitalization program due to crappy insurance, and I had trouble finding a therapist I could afford. This joke of a mental health facility does things that I know as a health care professional, although retired, I know they do illegal things. I know I definitely should not have taken an overdose, but as I said, it was a very impulsive act and no matter how many years of treatment a person gets with my illness, they are still prone to many hospitalizations and to taking or threatening to take overdoses. This very much feels like punishment for being ill, which a lot of mental health professionals treat you like you are a convict or have leprosy!

I think that the therapist at the center suggested that I be committed and mandated to a year of treatment at the mental health center. I was furious because I fully intended to get my own therapist, I have always gone faithfully the last 7 years. I have been to a formal DBT class that is designed specifically for the borderline disorder. In this mandate, I have to see the therapist, the doctor, plus go to a group that allegedly teaches DBT (dialectical behavior therapy). Compared to the REAL DBT program I went to, it is a joke! This woman does not teach anything, she just sits and gabs with all the people in the group. My first class, when I spoke up and asked a question about a problem I was having, I was ridiculed by her and the other people were laughing. It sounds unreal, but I was angry about it for 2 weeks. That is another symptom, a lot of anger that is hard to let go of. Every class I have been to has been awful. The one time it was not, the therapist that teaches it used a very nasty tone to me because I could not say I had learned anything. That is because she is not teaching a damn thing. I went to the formal DBT class for a year and I have heard it all before, however she just chats and b*****s.

I do get to see a therapist and a doctor. Once a MONTH. It would be against the mandate if I went to another therapist. Once a month therapy is not enough. So truly they are compromising my ability to get the help I need! It makes me so furious and I may end up going to jail and being picked up by the cops or whatever they might do in this crazy state I live in if I refuse to go, which is so ridiculous. I am much better from 7 years ago when I was first diagnosed, but the impulsivity is something that is in my personality, ingrained since I was born. I think this so called "mental health care" I am forced to go to is doing me more harm than good. The therapist told me that all I do is complain about the group and have not given it a chance. That is not true. I have really tried to keep an open mind but this therapist/teacher and I just have a personality clash, plus she is NOT teaching DBT. It is a major joke!

I don't know what I can do, but with my history of hospitalizations and overdoses I doubt I have a chance to win any legal action to contest this decision. So until next September, I have to have poor care and go to this group that upsets me with a bunch of borderline personality people with severe anger issues, they are quite scary. This whole thing feels like I was railroaded and certainly is distressing.

Thanks for reading if you got this far.

Daria

Oh, my, yes. Let's have the law making sure we're all docile and compliant, regardless of the appropriateness of the treatment.

Goodness, yes. Those poor crazy people certainly don't have valid thoughts, and aren't capable of speaking up in their own best interests.

They just want to stay crazy. They don't know what's good for them anyway.

SARCASM!

I'd smile all the time too, if I knew it was that or have more risperidone stuffed down my throat because "that is how we treat autism spectrum disorder."

God I am afraid. I see this country going back to so many attitudes of the early 20th century (and I note that New England also led the eugenics movement that included involuntary sterilization and inspired Hitler) that it chills me to the bone.

Makes me wish I had never asked for help to get the diagnosis-- God only knows how my children and I may be discriminated against. So tired. And I am supposed to be grateful for their "help" and thankful that I am suffered to walk around free????

To be skittish and secretive and fearful is labeled paranoia. Where I grew up, in the colonial economy where everyone is the serf of big business interests and the high-minded "progressives" on a mission to "save the poor ignorant hillbillies" and there is so much contempt for the people that they don't even bother to window-dress it, "paranoia" is also referred to as "common sense."

I would not like to be forced into any kind of treatment,but if someone is seriously violent it may be a public safety issue.
My nephew was schizophrenic,he would not take his meds,he tried to kill his brother,then shot his Dad's truck over 50 times and started stalking someone else.He was hospitalized and treated at the State hospital,some good it did him.Notice I used the past tense when referring to him.He was medicated,tried to kill himself,was put on temporary suicide watch.When they took him off the watch some staff member had the bright idea to leave him alone in a room folding sheets,he knotted one up and hung himself while in the hospital.If someone REALLY wants to hurt themselves they will find a way,mandatory treatment or not.

I think forced medications is largely a bad idea, especially since it can be abused such as not considering if the person taking them is having bad side effects/reactions or not. Its also disturbing to me since I've reacted badly or just don't have much of a reaction to any psych meds I've had........even klonopin which was supposed to help my anxiety basically just brought all my worst traits/symptoms out and I wasn't even aware of it because of the unusual sort of high it caused. I've also tried 3 anti-depressants one didn't really do anything and the other two caused horrible side effects and worse symptoms and I was supposed to try another but after taking the first dose I was afraid to take anymore because I am not sure I can take another bad reaction. So yeah I don't know that laws to make forcing treatment in general easier are a good idea, especially if there aren't heavy regulations to prevent abuse and such.

Mandatory treatment was forced upon my aunt because she was a schizophrenic and wouldn't help herself and she kept on stopping her medication because she thought she didn't need them anymore. She was not capable of her own treatment so her parents and her siblings had to force it on her and she was hospitalized for four years. Now she lives in a group home. She would have been better off if she kept on taking her medication instead of letting her illness get worse until it gets this severe she couldn't be a good parent anymore nor take care of herself she now needs care. She can't even drive anymore or go to social things like family reunions like she used to. She can't even see her grand kids either because her daughter has no car and has no way of coming to see her and she lives out of town. I haven't seen her since I was eight. Back then she was mild but she was unemployed and she never brushed her teeth so they were all dark colored and she got her moments when she get off medication. I don't know if she still had moments while on it but she would do a lot better. I have never seen her have a schizophrenic episode. She always appeared normal when I'd see her.


So I believe in it if the person is incapable of getting themselves treatment. Should we let someone die from an eating disorder or let someone die from suicide or let someone's schizophrenia get worse and worse? Some people don't even think they have a problem so of course they won't go get help. Unfortunately, most people with schizophrenia don't even know they are sick so they quit taking their medicine thinking they are fine and don't need it. So it's not like they are in denial. I am sure my aunt is forced to take her medication.

The problem is medication is not a cure all and does not always help symptoms, also there can be terrible side effects or some meds can make some peoples symptoms worse. Not taking meds is not always a case of someone 'letting' their illness get worse mentally ill people have valid reasons for not wanting to take drugs with unpleasant side effects to and that should always be considered. I mean I suppose everyone with schizophrenia should be forced to take medications lest their symptoms get worse regardless of if thats the best option for that individual with schizophrenia. Maybe depressed people should be forced to take anti-depressants to simply based on the diagnoses of depression.

I would hope that if it is forced it really is doing more good than harm......but I feel that is not always the case considering some meds make things worse. And I might point out what you described sounds exactly like denial so how do you figure the ones who don't even see anything at all wrong with having the symptoms they do aren't in denial? But i've seen plenty of people with schizophrenia on various mental health sites who are aware they have it....and then there are some that don't want medications because of the side effects and some who willingly take it as it does help them. Point is shoving meds on everyone with a mental disorder is no way to deal with the issue.

I've abstained from voting because this question does not have an absolute 'yes' or 'no' answer. If the person and their condition do not pose a threat to themselves or others, then the answer is 'no'. If the person consistantly proves themselves to be a threat to themselves or others, then the answer is of course 'yes', but with the stipulation of clarifing what exactly consists of posing a danger to themselves or others.

This is a good example of why I think that putting people in mental hospitals is to pretty much jail and punish them for the crime of thinking "wrong".

I can't even bring myself to talk about any mental problems I have because of things like this. I'd just be giving them stuff to use against me.