Reply to Why no Involuntary Commitment in DC?

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[quote=Anonymous]It’s not a “DC” problem. It’s a national problem, based on decades of political decisions.  Some people genuinely believed that psychotropic medications and community clinics would be “enough”.  And even community based clinics haven’t been adequately funded.  Others saw this as part of larger efforts to use tax dollars to support corporations while encouraging the rest of us to tug up our bootstraps — not easy without health insurance or boots, even as housing costs have soared astronomically.

As others have said, DC, like most places, can hospitalize people for short periods of time when they are deemed a danger to themselves or others. But then what?  As with many things, the people who already have resources might get their needs adequately addressed.  The people without resources probably will not get their needs adequately addressed. That, as you’ve noticed, has consequences for the well-being of the entire community.

Check out the stats on the percentages of people imprisoned who have diagnosable mental health issues and/ or learning issues.  Then think about who we are as a society and what our country has prioritized.

At the risk of going all John Lennon, Imagine if approved treatment options were available— and people got them. Imagine if such options included case management and other support services to ensure that people continued to get needed supports beyond the immediate crisis.

- Someone who provided community based services for kids and families for many years — until the funding got cut. [/quote]

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