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On the other hand, you cannot force people into the wards unless they pose grave danger to themselves or the society. And the current sentiment is that yelling
by AlexTWithBeard 5y ago
On the other hand, you cannot force people into the wards unless they pose grave danger to themselves or the society.
And the current sentiment is that yelling slurs or urinating in a subway is not grave enough to justify involuntary confinement.
- ghufran_syed 5y agoNot quite true in California - being "gravely disabled" also justifies involuntary detainment and treatment: "A condition in which a person, as a result of a mental health disorder, is unable to provide for his or her basic personal needs for food, clothing, or shelter." In reality though, the lack of funding for such people means that only the most severe are treated under this category. What's required is the funding and political will to enforce it, the necessary legal structure is already in place. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=WIC§ionNum=5008 https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySectio...
- AlexTWithBeard 5y ago> "A condition in which a person, as a result of a mental health disorder, is unable to provide for his or her basic personal needs for food, clothing, or shelter." Wait a minute. Does it also apply to all these infamous unemployed college graduates who still live with parents?
- kayodelycaon 5y agoThis really isn’t funny or comparable. Unemploymed college graduates do not lack the capacity to do these things, they have a choice to do them or not do them. People with mental health issues that compromise their ability to care for themselves don’t have a choice.
- AlexTWithBeard 5y agoNot funny, indeed, but how do we tell people who "can, but don't want" from those who want, but cannot care for themselves?
- kayodelycaon 5y agoIn most cases, that’s fairly easy to tell by looking at their history, current living situation, and cognitive abilities. Also, are those who are lazy really the majority case here? Or a straw man being used to justify ignoring the problem?
- swearwolf 5y agoFrom what I’ve heard from mental health professionals, in practice simply being able to answer some very basic questions (like “Are you hungry? If so, what should you do?”) with plausible answers (“I should eat”) is sufficient to pass the “gravely disabled” test.
- smoe 5y agoThe difference might be that mental issues are identified and cared for much earlier, before people end up on the streets and things worsen more and more. Locking people up into wards is not the only option. Not at all an expert in this, but it sounds like there are much more mentally ill people in the streets in the US compared to other places.
- FooBarBizBazz 5y agoI'd bet more American families kick their problem relatives out instead of caring for them within the household. "Not my responsibility."