Showing posts with label schizophrenia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label schizophrenia. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

This Book Could Help You Change the Mental Health System Forever: Insane Consequences: How the Mental Health Industry Fails the Mentally Ill



Now available  for pre-order.


I am proud to say Insane Consequences: How the Mental Health Industry Fails the Mentally Ill is now available for pre-order on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.  


This critically important book gives people who care about the seriously mentally ill the facts they need to be better advocates and provides specific guidance on how to force the mental health system to deliver better treatment. It documents the failure of the mental health system, tells who is to blame, provides you direct links to policy and treatment research, and describes specific actionable ideas to reform the system. The brilliant foreword by Dr. E. Fuller Torrey (Author, Surviving Schizophrenia) puts these proposals in perspective.

Please pre-order Insane Consequences on Amazon or Barnes and Noble.  For the record, 100% of my proceeds will go to Mental Illness Policy Org. and other organizations working to improve care for the seriously ill. I am not making a nickel on this, I am simply trying to help. It is 340 pages and we have kept the pre-order price low, considering the size of the book: $25 for hard cover and $11.99 for Nook and Kindle. Both Amazon and Barnes and Noble let you read a detailed description of the book and they include reviews of my past work.

(Note: if you buy it via smile.amazon, a portion of the proceeds will go direct from Amazon to the charity of your choice. I would suggest Treatment Advocacy Center or whatever is important to you.)

Thank you for considering pre-ordering Insane Consequences. I don't think you will be disappointed and I know you will be helping improve care for others who have serious mental illness. Thanks for all you do. Please share with others who care.

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Join Dr. E. Fuller Torrey Teleconference October 6, 7PM EST.

SAVE THE DATE: October 6 at 7pm EST. 


DJ Jaffe, Executive Director of Mental Illness Policy Org is hosting a conference call Tuesday October 6 at 7PM EST with the amazing Dr. E. Fuller Torrey, author, Surviving Schizophrenia and scores of books on mental illness policy, mental illness science, and mental illness treatment. He directs the Stanley Medical Research Inst., and founded the Treatment Advocacy Center. Hear about his latest study, mental illness politics and more. Q&A at end. Invite your friends. Dial in (712) 775-7031 Access Code 715-149

Books by Dr. E. Fuller Torrey
Article about Dr. E. Fuller Torrey's search for schizophrenia cure
Dr. E. Fuller Torrey Testimony on Failure at SAMHSA
Dr. Fuller Torrey's CV

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Treatment of violent mentally ill lowers rates of reoffending. New Study

Important new study: Researchers followed violent offenders (sentenced to 2 years or more) for an average of 10 months following their release and ascertained the rate of violent re-offending. The study included 742 individuals without psychosis; 94 with schizophrenia; 29 with delusional disorder; and 102 with drug-induced psychosis. It also assessed whether the individual’s mental illness was treated in prison, after leaving prison, or not at all.

Sunday, February 23, 2014

What is serious mental illness in adults and what is not?

Serious mental illnesses are a small subset of the 300 mental illnesses that are in DSM. While it is fair to debate where the line between serious mental illness (SMI) and poor mental health is, the extremities are clear. The Center for Mental Health Services defined SMI as


mental illnesses listed in DSM that “resulted in functional impairment which substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities.” (CMHS 1999)

 By all accounts, serious mental illnesses include “schizophrenia-spectrum disorders,” “severe bipolar disorder,” and “severe major depression” as specifically and narrowly defined in DSM. People with those disorders comprise the bulk of those with serious mental illness. However, when other mental illnesses cause significant functional impairment they also count as a serious mental illness.  

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, serious mental illness is relatively rare, affecting only 5% of the population over 18. Serious mental illness includes schizophrenia; the subset of major depression called “severe, major depression”; the subset of bipolar disorder classified as “severe” and a few other disorders.

Schizophrenia (NIMH defines all schizophrenia as “severe”):  1.1% of the population (FN 1)
The subset of bipolar disorder classified as “severe”:  2.2% of the population (FN 2)
The subset of major depression called “severe, major depression”:  2.0% of the population (FN 3)

Therefore total “severe” mental illness in adults by diagnosis: 5.3% of the population (FN 4)

US mental health spending and mental health non-profits focus almost exclusively on people who do not have serious mental illness, rather than those who do. This is the single major problem with the US mental health system. Money is not lacking. Prioritization is.

Sunday, July 22, 2012

James Holmes, Mental Illness, Colorado Shootings, Not Guilty By Reason of Insanity

Could James Holmes Be Seriously Mentally Ill?
It is too early to tell, but he could be. There are three reasons people do these things.
  1. Lack of maturity (ex. desire to get attention or get back at someone); 
  2. Political reasons (terrorism);
  3. Their brain was malfunctioning due to mental illness. 
I guess mental illness, and may be wrong, but here's why I think that, based on media reports:
  • James Holmes is 24, the age at which schizophrenia starts. 
  • He is delusional, i.e, believes he is the Joker. 
  • He was "normal" and then became withdrawn. Withdrawal is a common reaction to hallucinations.
  • NY Daily News reported he has lack of affect ("shows no remorse")
  • He is acting crazy spitting on everyone in jail.  
  • The owner of a shooting range reported Mr. Holmes' voice message was "bizarre"
The fact that he was highly educated, and the attack was well planned, does not rule out mental illness. The disease often starts after the education. The Unabomber was also highly educated and planned his attacks well.


If James Holmes had a mental illness that caused the shooting, what could have been done to prevent it?
Probably not much. While there are many (albeit, unused) legal procedures to help people who already have serious mental illness and a history of violence, it is much more difficult to help someone prior to a first episode without violating their rights. (Put another way: the law requires dangerous behavior rather than prevents it). One possible approach might be to make it easier to have someone undergo a 'capacity' or 'competency' hearing. These hearings determine whether someone is rational and can make their own decisions. They are frequently held for people with Alzheimer's, dementia, or developmental disabilities, but rarely for people with mental illness. If someone is found to lack capacity or competency, then someone else can be appointed to make decisions for them, which could include treatment. 


What happens if James Holmes is found Not Guilty By Reason of Insanity for the Colorado Shooting?
(Excerpted from op-ed I wrote a few years back in Wall Street Journal)
If he is found Not Guilty By Reason of Insanity (NGRI) he will be put in locked psychiatric hospital. But theoretically, when sanity is restored, he can be released. As a practical matter, few judges are willing to risk that on their watch, so even when sanity is restored—he will likely be kept committed.


To protect against the possibility of NGRI acquitees going free, some states replaced NGRI with "guilty because of mental illness." Individuals found guilty because of mental illness go to a hospital until their sanity is restored and then to jail to finish out their sentence. This forces individuals who had no culpability for their actions to go to jail at the exact time it's not needed—when they've regained their sanity. For these individuals being mentally ill is the same as being guilty: either way, they go to jail.


Our current system incarcerates people who have no culpability for their actions. It keeps sane people involuntarily committed, and gives potentially violent mentally ill individuals the right to go off violence-preventing medications. That's not justice, it's mayhem.


To correct that, we have proposed that individuals found NGRI be 'sentenced' to treatment for the maximum amount of time they would have received had they been found guilty. This treatment could be in a locked ward if needed or in the community if safe. Treatment would be monitored (much like Parole). The individual could be moved back and forth between inpatient and outpatient treatment as needed with no further court proceedings necessary. This would keep them safe, save money, and keep communities safer.


Learn more
The relationship between untreated serious mental illness and violence
Noncompliance in people with serious mental illness


For more on mental illness and violence visit http://mentalillnesspolicy.org or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.






Friday, January 20, 2012

Allegedly Knife-Wielding Mentally Ill Roscoe Cambridge Shot By Anaheim Police

According to the Orange County Register, on Thursday, Anaheim police shot and killed Roscoe Cambridge, who was wielding a knife. Like Kelly Thomas, who also died in police custody, he was apparently mentally ill. Tracy Bowden, his cousin's wife posted on the "Justice for Kelly Thomas" Facebook page that her family " feared that Roscoe could be a victim of the police, because of his schizophrenia." "Justice for Kelly Thomas" is a group formed in memory of Kelly Thomas who is also alleged to have suffered from untreated schizophrenia before he was shot by police in Fullerton, CA. Roscoe Cambridge's Family started their own Facebook Group

The Facebook posting went on to say
PLEASE HELP! YESTERDAY A ANAHEIM HILLS POLICE OFFICER SHOT AND KILLED A 24 YEAR OLD, WHO SUFFERED FROM SCHIZOPHRENIA! HE WAS SITTING UNDER A TREE IN THE POLICE PARKING LOT, APPARENTLY WITH A BIBLE AND A KITCHEN KNIFE. THE SERGEANT WAS IN HIS POLICE CAR, ON HIS COMPUTER. NOW UNDER INVESTIGATION. ROSCOE CAMBRIDGE WAS MY HUSBAND COUSIN, HIS MOTHER WOULD CALL TO TELL ME HOW SHE SUPPORTED MY INVOLVEMENT WITH JUSTICE FOR KELLY. AND EXPRESSED HER FEAR THAT ROSCOE WOULD SUFFER THE SAME FATE. SHE CALLED ME THIS MORNING IN SUCH GRIEF. AND SAID "IT IS JUST LIKE KELLY'. ... GOD HELP OUR SONS AND BROTHERS WHO SUFFER FROM MENTAL ILLNESS....

Families and advocates for the mentally ill have argued that Orange County needs to adopt Laura's Law to prevent incidents like this, but Orange County supervisors have failed to act, many believe because the Orange County Behavioral Health Care Department gave the supervisors highly misleading information about the law. Carla Jacobs of the California Treatment Advocacy Coalition is leading families of people with mental illness who want Laura's Law adopted. According to her, Laura's Law would allow courts to require a very narrowly defined group of seriously mentally ill individuals (only those with a past history of violence or multiple arrests or hospitalizations) to stay in treatment while in the community. It is not known if Mr. Cambridge would meet the criteria, but the family of Kelly Thomas has stated Kelly would have. Likewise the father of Aaron Bassler says his son also had untreated schizophrenia before he shot several people in Mendocino, CA and was himself killed by police. James Bassler believes his son Aaron would have met the criteria. The father of Kelly Thomas and the father of Aron Bassler have both become proponents of Laura's Law because they believe it would have helped their children live safely in the community.

Background Docs:
New Survey of CA Law Enforcement Officers shows they are overwhelmed caring for seriously mentally ill who are abandoned by Mental Health Officials.
Mental Health Services Act can be used to fund Laura's Law
Orange County Health Care Agency Misleads Supervisors on Laura's Law
Laura's Law Orange County Homepage