The largest public facility for mental health is the LA county jail.
>> 10 November 2009
I listened to the this NPR clip today. It played on the radio this week in Utah. This man says that mental illness is turning from a health problem to a criminal justice problem. I would argue that Mental illness has NEVER been seen as a health problem. I WISH that it was seen as a health problem. The brain is an organ in the body just like your liver or your gallbladder. If you have a heart condition or diabetes, you take medications and get treatment. Instead, mental illness has a stigma so deep and strong that suicide and depression are the end result of those who have to live in a society that shuns them for their health problem. I would urge everyone to take time to understand those in your life who are suffering from a mental illness. It is a hard road to walk, especially when no one in your life understands it. A mental illness is not something you can just snap out of. The sooner you understand mental illness, the sooner we can get to the prevention of these problems in the first place.
Second, I can attest to the fact that those will mental illnesses end up in the justice system. I work in the forensics unit at the Utah State Hospital. Prisons and jails are the new asylum. Perhaps justifiably so, the public deals with those with mental illness by calling the police. "Mom there is a man using our lawn mower- and it is not turned on." is bound to get the police there. There is a great fear of the unknown. I think I understand that. We can not count on our neighbors to protect us if we confront him. We have to call the police. The man may be dangerous if he is unstable. That is true, but not the rule. I'm not saying don't call the police. I am saying its important to try to develop a real understanding an compassion for those with mental illness.
As a side note: I feel this father should be advocating to the public in understanding mental illness rather than brow-beating the systems that are dedicated to them already.
