[pachyderm]

By E. FULLER TORREY

The law, initially intended for a trial period of five years, permits state judges to order closely monitored outpatient treatment for a small subset of seriously mentally ill people who have records of failing to take medication, and who have consequently been rehospitalized or jailed or have exhibited violent behavior.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/01/opinion/01torrey.html

[little*rhino]

omg... i seriously hope not. This is anot the best topic for here... it will probably get very ugly. The last thing people need is s step toward losing their rights to choose their own health care treatments. No one would EVER suggest forcing anyone with any other type of health concern to take any kind of treatment that they did not want.

your body, your mind, your health - YOUR CHOICE

even if your choice leads to bad places, it should always be your choice.

[Perna]

I don't see that it's much different from others who have criminal backgrounds; if you commit a crime or are a public nuisance, can't take care of yourself, etc. because of a psychiatric illness it's like "suicide" and being involuntarily committed (threat to self or others) or, in the case of Kendra Webdale, murder.

If you can't control yourself and are a threat to me then I want you restrained (restraining orders on abusive SO's). If restraining is someone making sure you take your meds because then you're fine, that's not much better than when they have to restrain someone in a hospital for their own safety (my father when he was dying).

I have very mixed views on this, I have a nephew with schizophrenia who was for some months forced to take meds by his mother (my sister) after he became very very violent with many people and ended up in the police station.

Its now been several years and he leads a happy life working (looking after peoples gardens) and living in a granny flat my sister had built for him.

If he was left to his own devices he would not take his meds and would be in prison.

Then on the other side of the coin its his body ......

See I have mixed views.

[Onward2wards]

I think a compassionate balance has to be found between individual rights and the rights of others. Don't forget this law mandates OUTPATIENT treatment, not inpatient. It does not call for people being shackled and dragged off to a locked facility. I feel it may be a good idea for people with a clear history of violence directed against others or themselves, and who seem at high risk of doing so again without adequate behavioral health care. The intent, I would hope, is to avoid someone needlessly destroying their life and/or someone else's.