Reply to Why no Involuntary Commitment in DC?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote]Yes it started with closing the institutions.
Yes there is not enough funding. Mental health services for people whose families are taking care of them is a separate topic imo - there needs to be reforms but it’s just a different area of concern.
People on the streets need to be put into housing on cheaper land with round the clock medical care. It’s ok if they only have a bed and not a room, let alone a house to themselves. Someone needs to monitor their medications. They should not be allowed to camp out on city streets.
[/quote]

Your suggestion is to target the end point and not the crises and problems that get people to that end point.  Also, you are talking about taking away free will.  At least some people on the streets are choosing their fate.  Not everyone wants housing and medical care and even less what institutional living.  If that were the case, people would be going to homeless shelters instead of staying on the streets.

I don't think that either suggestion is the answer to the problem.  If you intervene at an earlier point, then maybe you can avoid reaching the point where someone ends up on the streets.

And, yeah, I am taking care of my child.  But, I'm going to die and the street is a very real possibility.  And, it wouldn't be the first time because even though we are willing to do everything we can, people have free will.  [/quote]

I don't want to disregard you or your experience, but I disagree that free will applies to impaired judgment. That is  where society steps in. I also agree with a PP that solutions on public dime should be humane and cost effective. People who are incapacitated and need care do not need a full house. They need a bed, care and supervision. 100% There are ways to reimagine this that are humane and realistic. [/quote]

Impaired judgment is just not the standard for taking away free will - and really, we wouldn't want that in our country.  You have to be certified as incompetent by two doctors.  There are many people with impaired judgment who carry on just fine in life, probably due to a lot of good luck.

Also, can you really imagine institutions to be humane and better than prisons?  Imagine a large room with 50 or so beds, large cafeteria areas, and large common areas filled with people who may be paranoid or violent or who may have weird behaviors or be loud mouths.  Imagine that all they have going on in their day is sleep, eating a few meals a day and watching TV - because by your standard, all they need is a bed and by your standard, due to impaired judgment they would require supervision so could not leave.  Then imagine the fights that would break out and the chaos that would erupt when someone's PTSD kicks in or when someone hogs the remote.  I've worked in these settings and honestly, it seems as though you have on rose colored glasses if you think just a bed, care and supervision are enough.

Regardless, even if our country does start to tackle mental health care, I just don't see it reaching the people you are concerned about.  The cost would be staggering and no one has the stomach for that right now, especially when there is not a significant financial cost to the country to allow them to stay on the streets-that's why institutions were closed in the first place.  What we might see is some early intervention given all of the attention that mental health issues has received during the pandemic, which just might result in people getting the care they need to stop the cycle.  [/quote]

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