Thoughts About Mental Health Treatment

[rootabaga]

This is a pretty good article discussing issues surrounding our approach to treatment for the seriously mentally ill.

Here's the opening couple of paragraphs:

CARATUNK, Maine

 

[edmartin722]

It is really a serious case. I hope that people will do understand those people with this illness.

 

[sfbloodbrother]

That's horrible. What can be done about this. People like this? Are they curable at all?

 

[Hadron]

It's worth remembering that most people with this illness are not dangerous, or only dangerous to themselves.

There are drugs which control symptoms, though they do have side-effects. But from the snippet posted (I've not followed the link) it sounds like he was not given treatment.

 

[zuben el genub]

A lot of the homeless are mentally ill. They will get treatment in a state hospital, but then are released back to the streets. No funds to deal with them.

We had a DUI sentenced to attend a bi-polar clinic along with a fine and points on license. Good idea but will anyone check to see if he attended or bothered to participate?

 

[Stuntman]

That's horrible. What can be done about this. People like this? Are they curable at all?

People with mental illness can take medication to control the symptoms. The medication must be taken regularly. There are side effects of many of these drugs, so other drugs may be necessary to control these side effects.

There is no treatment that can permanently remove the mental illness from a person. It's not like some cancers where some form of treatment can remove the cancer. It's more like diabetes where there is no treatment to remove it. A diabetic must take insulin at regular intervals to control the symptoms.