What are you supposed to do when you encounter a mentally ill homeless person who seems to need help?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I work in a hospital and people like this are routinely brought in by police. Often times they’re on the medical unit until they stabilize, then sent to inpatient psych. If they don’t meet criteria for inpatient, they’re sent to a shelter when discharging, or sometimes they just give an address where they like to sleep (often times a store front, etc) and we send them there by cab. Often times we find that these people with severe presentation like you describe were in transitional housing and even had case managers, but preferred to be in the streets if off the grid, or were kicked out by landlords due to their behaviors; it can be hard to keep them stable and compliant with care.

Of course, this is in the DC area, not a small town.

Or they just wander out. You can restrain them against their will.

*can't

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:According to disability rights advocates she’s making a lifestyle choice. As long as she’s not suicidal or homicidal she can’t be committed in most states. Most folks like this are kept in American jails. 10 times as many people with serious mental illness are in jails rather than hospitals today.

Realistically she’d be under court ordered treatment for whatever it is. It’s a huge human tragedy.

I’m not sure how they argued someone not of sound mind is making a lifestyle choice. Awful to hear.

It really doesn't logically make sense but disability rights advocates I suppose fear that involuntary commitment will be worse. They reason some (or most) insane asylums were places where a lot of abuses happened so no one should be forced to take medication or be committed against their will. It is awful to see women in this condition who are so out of it they are probably being repeatedly sexually assaulted on the streets.

So the only thing the disability advocates lobby for is free housing no strings attached and voluntary out patient care. But if you are too mentally ill to realize you need care then how are you supposed to go seek care?

So the answer is you do nothing because nothing ends up being done if anyone actually responds.

The answer here would be to improve mental health facilities and have strict regulations for them. Not allow people to rot on the streets because they’re too mentally ill to access any help.

Strangely enough part of the issue is as someone mentioned disability rights. Under many circumstances those who are mentally ill can refuse help and you can only do forced help for limited time. That person could even have a family who did everything they could legally.

[Anonymous]

I would call adult protective services and see what advice they have.

Disability rights are such a mixed bag-of course we want those with disabilities to have rights, but it also means they have the right to self-destruct.

I have a mentally ill aunt. When her mental health was getting scary because she wasn't taking meds I expressed concern to her and her doctors. To punish me she blocked me from all health information. Luckily I convinced her to agree to an expensive social worker who is trained and very well paid to deal with this. That person at least makes sure her condo (which dad bought) does not fall into disarray and she is still managing independent living. She also has convinced her before to go back on meds. I only know this because my sibling who isn't involved but is still allowed to be informed told me. If my father had left us money for this expensive service, we would have to rely on whatever is provided free through the government. We make sure the neighbors know what to do as well. She has been fired by so many doctors due to behavior. She threatened my life the last time I tried to intervene.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This was not in DC but in a rural area in the south that looked to be a smallish town. I went with a friend to visit her daughter in college and to get back to civilization you need to pass through a few towns to get back onto the highway. We encountered a woman wearing only a blanket (it was 40 degrees out), fully covered in mud, hair entirely knotted and screaming about demons. As it was Sunday in this podunk town the local police dept wouldn’t answer. We then tried the fire department who did answer but told us to call 911 and that they wouldn’t do anything for her. We then called 911 but I’m not sure if we did the right thing. She needed to be cleaned up, given clothing and probably medicated and monitored. Ideally she should be brought to the hospital. With that said what do these small towns do with these people? I got to thinking and I imagine she must be known around this small town and other people passed her by and had to see her state yet seemed to do nothing. I’ve never seen someone in such a bad state before. She looked like someone threw her into a mud pit.

Ask Irina Zarutskaya, she might have some tips for you on how to act in this situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:According to disability rights advocates she’s making a lifestyle choice. As long as she’s not suicidal or homicidal she can’t be committed in most states. Most folks like this are kept in American jails. 10 times as many people with serious mental illness are in jails rather than hospitals today.

Realistically she’d be under court ordered treatment for whatever it is. It’s a huge human tragedy.

I’m not sure how they argued someone not of sound mind is making a lifestyle choice. Awful to hear.

Because, a lot of people with mental health issues refuse medication saying they don’t need it and they are fine.
You can’t forcefully medicate them so it seems the compromise is unless they are danger to others or themselves you leave them alone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As it was Sunday in this podunk town the local police dept wouldn’t answer.

Sure. That’s not how police departments work. People here are so weird. Why make something like this up?

Of course it is. You can get in contact with a police department any day of the week in a large city. A small one will be closed.

There isn’t a podunk town that doesn’t have police on the streets 24/7.

[Anonymous]

In a “podunk town” the “firefighters” are actually Fire/Rescue. They’re the only fire trucks and ambulances for miles and miles.

If the police station was closed, and Fire/Rescue wouldn’t help, who responded to the 911 call?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:According to disability rights advocates she’s making a lifestyle choice. As long as she’s not suicidal or homicidal she can’t be committed in most states. Most folks like this are kept in American jails. 10 times as many people with serious mental illness are in jails rather than hospitals today.

Realistically she’d be under court ordered treatment for whatever it is. It’s a huge human tragedy.

I’m not sure how they argued someone not of sound mind is making a lifestyle choice. Awful to hear.

It really doesn't logically make sense but disability rights advocates I suppose fear that involuntary commitment will be worse. They reason some (or most) insane asylums were places where a lot of abuses happened so no one should be forced to take medication or be committed against their will. It is awful to see women in this condition who are so out of it they are probably being repeatedly sexually assaulted on the streets.

So the only thing the disability advocates lobby for is free housing no strings attached and voluntary out patient care. But if you are too mentally ill to realize you need care then how are you supposed to go seek care?

So the answer is you do nothing because nothing ends up being done if anyone actually responds.

The answer here would be to improve mental health facilities and have strict regulations for them. Not allow people to rot on the streets because they’re too mentally ill to access any help.

Strangely enough part of the issue is as someone mentioned disability rights. Under many circumstances those who are mentally ill can refuse help and you can only do forced help for limited time. That person could even have a family who did everything they could legally.

Under this logic we should allow suicidal people to go forward with their suicide plans.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As it was Sunday in this podunk town the local police dept wouldn’t answer.

Sure. That’s not how police departments work. People here are so weird. Why make something like this up?

The poster's use of the word "podunk" to describe a small town reveals her true views, as if large cities like NYC do any better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I work in a hospital and people like this are routinely brought in by police. Often times they’re on the medical unit until they stabilize, then sent to inpatient psych. If they don’t meet criteria for inpatient, they’re sent to a shelter when discharging, or sometimes they just give an address where they like to sleep (often times a store front, etc) and we send them there by cab. Often times we find that these people with severe presentation like you describe were in transitional housing and even had case managers, but preferred to be in the streets if off the grid, or were kicked out by landlords due to their behaviors; it can be hard to keep them stable and compliant with care.

Of course, this is in the DC area, not a small town.

I had a neighbor who rented her apartment to a schizophrenic guy who just came out of transitional housing. He was OK when on his meds, but he decided to go off.
He was young and had a mom who lived nearby. The mom was a big tenants rights and disability rights figure. As he devolved into worse and worse behavior which involved lots of property damage, the landlord tried to get the mother involved. The mother would only attack and threaten - the police, the firemen, anyone who was called in to deal with his madness. She would show up, threaten, then leave him alone in his madness.
My entire building was scared of him and thankfully his lease was only 6 months. But it felt like a very long 6 months.
The mother basically did not see him as her responsibility at all but the responsibility of society at large. That's why he was in transitional housing and why he ended up in an apartment by himself. The family had no sense of responsibility over him.
My e

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:According to disability rights advocates she’s making a lifestyle choice. As long as she’s not suicidal or homicidal she can’t be committed in most states. Most folks like this are kept in American jails. 10 times as many people with serious mental illness are in jails rather than hospitals today.

Realistically she’d be under court ordered treatment for whatever it is. It’s a huge human tragedy.

I’m not sure how they argued someone not of sound mind is making a lifestyle choice. Awful to hear.

It really doesn't logically make sense but disability rights advocates I suppose fear that involuntary commitment will be worse. They reason some (or most) insane asylums were places where a lot of abuses happened so no one should be forced to take medication or be committed against their will. It is awful to see women in this condition who are so out of it they are probably being repeatedly sexually assaulted on the streets.

So the only thing the disability advocates lobby for is free housing no strings attached and voluntary out patient care. But if you are too mentally ill to realize you need care then how are you supposed to go seek care?

So the answer is you do nothing because nothing ends up being done if anyone actually responds.

The answer here would be to improve mental health facilities and have strict regulations for them. Not allow people to rot on the streets because they’re too mentally ill to access any help.

Strangely enough part of the issue is as someone mentioned disability rights. Under many circumstances those who are mentally ill can refuse help and you can only do forced help for limited time. That person could even have a family who did everything they could legally.

Under this logic we should allow suicidal people to go forward with their suicide plans.

Yeah it's interesting. That is where the red line is. If that same person threatens suicide and has a plan or threatens homicide and has a plan then they can be hospitalized. It's slowly killing yourself through choices that doesn't qualify that easily. It's very sad and very complicated. It's painful for families too who want to help.

[Anonymous]

This is all fake news.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:According to disability rights advocates she’s making a lifestyle choice. As long as she’s not suicidal or homicidal she can’t be committed in most states. Most folks like this are kept in American jails. 10 times as many people with serious mental illness are in jails rather than hospitals today.

Realistically she’d be under court ordered treatment for whatever it is. It’s a huge human tragedy.

I’m not sure how they argued someone not of sound mind is making a lifestyle choice. Awful to hear.

It really doesn't logically make sense but disability rights advocates I suppose fear that involuntary commitment will be worse. They reason some (or most) insane asylums were places where a lot of abuses happened so no one should be forced to take medication or be committed against their will. It is awful to see women in this condition who are so out of it they are probably being repeatedly sexually assaulted on the streets.

So the only thing the disability advocates lobby for is free housing no strings attached and voluntary out patient care. But if you are too mentally ill to realize you need care then how are you supposed to go seek care?

So the answer is you do nothing because nothing ends up being done if anyone actually responds.

The answer here would be to improve mental health facilities and have strict regulations for them. Not allow people to rot on the streets because they’re too mentally ill to access any help.

Strangely enough part of the issue is as someone mentioned disability rights. Under many circumstances those who are mentally ill can refuse help and you can only do forced help for limited time. That person could even have a family who did everything they could legally.

There are an infinite actions between not caring and having a person put in a facility... you know, right?

If we cared we would have them under care, not a mental hospital, where someone helped people we are dysregulated and can't manage normal tasks. We would check on them daily, help them with showers, make sure they take medication, make sure they ate. But that's expensive and not covered by health insurance.

[Anonymous]

They should be in jail

[Anonymous]

I wouldn’t have done anything or called anyone. I would’ve just gone about my day.