Jan/Feb. Update

National News

SAMHSA estimated the number of mentally ill as 1 in 5, but an analysis by Mental Illness Policy Org. found out the report left out 500,000 individuals who are incarcerated, institutionalized or homeless. SAMHSA has a long history of ignoring the most severely ill, so this was not surprising.

A recent California court ruling limits some mentally ill from representing themselves in court. This is important and hopefully will spread to other states. Ex. In NYS, mentally ill Colin Ferguson was sentenced to 315 years in prison after shooting 19 on the Long Island railroad and representing himself in court while psychotic.

Dr. Richard Lamb wrote in a Psychiatric Journal on meeting the needs of mentally ill who are likely to be incarcerated.

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On 1/25, the Dr. Oz show ran a terrific piece on electroconvulsive therapy (ECT, a/k/a "shock' (sic)) that featured people who got their lives back as a result of the treatment. Members of the consumertocracy tried to have the show cancelled. At the same time the NY Times ran an op-ed by someone else crediting ECT for their recovery and a consumer who is writing one of the best blogs around wrote on it too.

A court decision suggests preventing people with mental illness from owning handguns may not pass constitutional muster.

USA Today ran a letter by Mental Illness Policy Org answering a professional consumer who wrote an op-ed in the paper with misinformation.

This is a stellar series on the seminal Lessard case in which the Supreme Court ruled on both the dangerousness standard and due-process for people with mental illness. It was followed up with a brilliant op-ed by Dr. E. Fuller Torrey, author, Surviving Schizophrenia. 

Jared Loughner was found incompetent to stand trial in the death of Gabrielle Giffords, raising the question, "Should we be allowed to medicate people to make them competent to stand trial?" The new edition of Dr. Torrey's, The Insanity Offense, includes an epilogue describing Loughner's history and the failure to treat him and he talked about that in an interview with Salon Magazine. This book is highly recommended for anyone who cares about the treatment of the most seriously ill.

"Anatomy of an Epidemic"by Robert Whitaker has received glowing reviews by people who don't believe mental illness exists, but it has numerous faults which were pointed out in this Huffington Post book review.Also read this blog by a woman with bipolar disorder who is coming under attack for standing up to consumertocracy.

Arizona

Great consumer blogger writing on legal issues faced by people with mental illness in AZ.

California

Bill to extend Laura's Law introduced. Laura's Law is California's Assisted Outpatient Treatment Law. You can learn more about it at our new Laura's Law site at http://lauras-law.org and in this op-ed by Carla Jacobs.

There were incidents of violence involving people with mental illness in Anaheim, Kern County and elsewhere as a result of the failure to implement Laura's Law. Orange County Mental Health Director continues working to prevent implementation of Laura's Law in his county: http://lauras-law.org/states/california/analysishcareport.pdf 

In 2004, via Proposition 63, Californians passed the Mental Health Services (MHSA) act, a millionaires tax specifically to fund services for people with 'serious' mental illness. According to our ongoing monitoring, the counties and provider-community accepted the funding but not the requirement to spend it on people with serious mental illness. Mental Illness Policy Org., Exec. Dir. DJ Jaffe wrote on the waste for Capital Weekly, Mental Illness Policy Org Counsel Mary Ann Bernard wrote on it for California Progress Report and another article on same subject was published by a Whistleblower

Gary Tsai wrote a great op-ed about other problems affecting mentally ill in California in Sacramento Bee

Kentucky

Pastor argues against closing state psychiatric hospital 

Massachusetts

Plans move ahead to close Taunton Hospital and leaving people with mental illness who need inpatient care without any.

New Jersey

NJ issued an RFP for those interested in starting an Assisted Outpatient Treatment program.

New York

New York has an agency (Commission on Quality of Care-CQC) that is supposed to monitor the quality of care for people with mental illness. It also administers the Protection and Advocacy Program which is supposed to help get care to people with mental illness. Mental Illness policy Org testified that CQC has ignored every important issue affecting the most seriously ill (incarceration, homelessness, lack of hospital beds, etc.) and P&A uses the money it receives from NYS to prevent treatment for people with mental illness. 

Barricaded man in Stony Brook off meds for bipolar

Washington, DC/Virginia/Maryland

DC Bar Magazine did an article on mental illness law that extensively quoted DJ Jaffe of Mental Illness Policy Org. Unfortunately, the author also quoted from a professional consumer who believes mental illness does not exist.

Baltimore Sun ran a great letter "Mentally Ill Should Not Have To Commit Crime To Get Treatment"

Pete Earley, author of "Crazy" about incarcerating mentally ill writes a great blog on national and local issues in Virginia. Most, not all posts are about mental illness.

Texas

Court rules incompetent patients are being kept incarcerated too long before they are moved to treatment.

Washington State

Mentally ill man sets fire to police car to bring attention to poor state of mental health system