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Doctors don't support involuntary treatment because it's not effective. Effectively it trains people to distrust the health system, and to not seek medical car

Doctors don't support involuntary treatment because it's not effective. Effectively it trains people to distrust the health system, and to not seek medical care because they'll be locked up and bad things will happen to them. This leads to worsening health outcomes. We just passed through years of pandemic where everyone was eager to listen to the experts in the medical profession and that saved countless lives. It's sad and disturbing that when it comes to other health care issues, the politicians are now tuning out the same experts because they don't like what they're hearing.

mullingitover 4y ago
> Doctors don't support involuntary treatment because it's not effective. I think there's a difference between making an informed decision to decline treatment versus not being in a state of mind that allows you to make any rational decisions. People on the street with mental faculties in a state of failure are not really able to make that choice, and treating someone in that state as if they're making a voluntary choice is farcical.
HDThoreaun 4y ago
What other choice is there for people who have continuously refused treatment? Should we just accept that these people will live in tent encampments?
- Tiktaalik 4y ago
  I'm sure we can concoct some elaborate edge edge edge case where there are no other options, but broadly I think the medical establishment much rather prefers the situation where some dysfunctional person is regularly coming to check in with a doctor, even if it means they have to handhold some person every step of the way through life as they make mistake after mistake. The alternative, where someone is whisked away to internment for a few months, bounces back right after into the same broken lifestyle, and subsequently never trusts the medical system ever again and never goes to see a doctor again is less desirable. With the former there remains always new opportunities for someone to take positive steps forward to recovery as they are always in contact with a system that can help them. With the latter we burn a bridge one and done.

mullingitover 4y ago

> Doctors don't support involuntary treatment because it's not effective. I think there's a difference between making an informed decision to decline treatment versus not being in a state of mind that allows you to make any rational decisions. People on the street with mental faculties in a state of failure are not really able to make that choice, and treating someone in that state as if they're making a voluntary choice is farcical.

HDThoreaun 4y ago

What other choice is there for people who have continuously refused treatment? Should we just accept that these people will live in tent encampments?

Tiktaalik 4y ago
I'm sure we can concoct some elaborate edge edge edge case where there are no other options, but broadly I think the medical establishment much rather prefers the situation where some dysfunctional person is regularly coming to check in with a doctor, even if it means they have to handhold some person every step of the way through life as they make mistake after mistake. The alternative, where someone is whisked away to internment for a few months, bounces back right after into the same broken lifestyle, and subsequently never trusts the medical system ever again and never goes to see a doctor again is less desirable. With the former there remains always new opportunities for someone to take positive steps forward to recovery as they are always in contact with a system that can help them. With the latter we burn a bridge one and done.