"The cost in human suffering by the ill person, by his or her family and any victims is no doubt equaled by the cost to the state when it uses self-defeating systems. Even on county levels, authorities such as Leon County's Sheriff Larry Campbell decry the current system as ineffective, with no end of costs in sight, but no real improvements either."
The Treatment Advocacy Center (www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org) is a national nonprofit dedicated to eliminating barriers to the timely and effective treatment of severe mental illnesses. TAC promotes laws, policies, and practices for the delivery of psychiatric care and supports the development of innovative treatments for and research into the causes of severe and persistent psychiatric illnesses, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
An exercise in futility
The title of a recent editorial in the Tallahassee Democrat says it all: "Incarerating mentally ill is futile."