Project provides homeless better care at lower cost

Treatment Advocacy Center E-News 

Date: Friday, July 20, 2001 1:55 PM 
Subject: Treatment Advocacy Center E-NEWS 1 of 2

Treatment Advocacy Center 

Visit our web site www.psychlaws.org 

 September 7, 2001  

********************************

1. MENTAL ILLNESS REQUIRES MEDICATION - - DAILY HAMPSHIRE GAZETTE, August 31, 2001 

2. DISABLED MAN SITS IN MIAMI JAIL FOR TRESPASSING BECAUSE NO OTHER HELP IS AVAILABLE - - THE MIAMI HERALD September 1, 2001 

3. CRAZED AND CONFUSED - - SLATE, Aug. 29, 2001 

4. JUDGE ISSUES SOLOMONIC DECISION - - THE ATLANTA JOURNAL AND CONSTITUTION, August 20, 2001 

****************************** 

1. DAILY HAMPSHIRE GAZETTE, August 31, 2001 

[Editor's Note: The Treatment Advocacy Center resoundingly concurs with the opinions set out admirably below by Janice D'Amours White Her op-ed responds to another by Daniel Fisher of the federally funded National Empowerment Center, which was in a number of papers. A reoccurring assertion of Dr. Fisher and his center is "that people can fully recover from even the most severe forms of mental illness." This certainly builds hope, but at what price? Dr. Fisher's original op-ed, "We've Been Misled by the Drug Industry," is currently available at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28103-2001Aug18.html  

MENTAL ILLNESS REQUIRES MEDICATION 

By JANICE D'AMOURS WHITE 
Friday, August 31, 2001 -- In a recent Gazette "Opinion" article, Daniel Fisher of the Empowerment Center wrote that drugs are overused on mental illness, and that schizophrenia is not a brain disease but a "loss of dreams." He stated that the notion of mental illness as a brain disorder whose victims need to take medications for the rest of their lives is a clever sales strategy foisted on the psychiatric community and general public by the pharmaceutical industry. He further stated that people can recover without the lifelong aid of medications as long as someone is there to love and support them. 

One has to wonder why Dr. Fisher and his group find it so difficult to believe the clear evidence demonstrating that major mental illnesses such as schizophrenia are indeed biologically based brain disorders that respond to modern psychotropic medications. I will not argue about the importance of a loving, support network of family and friends in helping people recover - that goes without saying. But I will argue that these illnesses cannot be loved, talked or supported out of existence. They must first be dealt with biologically because simply put, they are physical illnesses and that means medication must be the first intervention to correct chemical imbalances and thus free the mind. We are not speaking here of mind-numbing, mind-altering medications of the past; no, we are speaking of medications that miraculously clear the minds of sufferers of monstrous, unspeakable torments that clutter and twist their very real sense of self - indeed free them from the psychosis that robs them of the ability to distinguish what is real from what is not and that smothers their individuality, identity and spirituality. 

Make no mistake - these medications are the front line of defense for someone who suffers from severe mental illness. Only after the medication takes effect can therapeutic support reach the individuals to help them live with dignity and respect and contribute their best to society. Study after study has shown the effectiveness of these medications in dealing with mental illness. Thousands upon thousands of people are alive and well today because medicine lets them live their lives to the fullest. There is no room here to quote all the documentation of persons restored to their full selves because (not in spite) of medication. One can learn more accurate, detailed information about schizophrenia and other serious mental illnesses by calling the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Western Mass. (786-9139), the volunteer grass-roots organization dedicated to improving the lives of those affected by neurobiological disorders. 

My son and I both have incurable but treatable illnesses. My son has a schizoaffective disorder and I have a rare form of blood cancer. I am alive and well seven-plus years after diagnosis because of repeated chemotherapy; he is alive and well 14-plus years after diagnosis because of medical research that finally came up with a drug to address his symptoms. We both are grateful for these interventions and do not feel used or duped or lessened as people in any way because we depend upon them. They are what enable us to enjoy each day - indeed each moment - treasuring life and the love of family and friends, and giving us the ability to contribute to society and to witness to others the message of hope. 

No, Dr. Fisher, we do not feel less because we acknowledge our illness and accept medical aid. We accept the full reality of our illness as a part of the human condition; we see our journey as a gift to be shared. Most importantly we know and feel deeply that our illness does not define who we are. My son is not "mentally ill"-he has a mental illness; I am not "cancerous" - I have cancer. Denial and fear-mongering have no place in a civilized society and their use when life-threatening medical disorders exist is downright appalling. I hope that Dr. Fisher and his group will cease from projecting their personal past and difficult psychiatric experiences and grievances onto others who are vulnerable and need real, concrete medical assistance. 

There is no shame in saying one has a mental illness that is currently incurable, just as there is no shame in saying one has a cancer that is incurable. Let's be real. Lives hang in the balance here. People with outdated views need to join the 21st century and help us find new treatments and cures. And in the meantime, help us stamp out the stigma of mental illness. The brain, like any other organ of the body, can become diseased. Surely we do not want to add to the already heavy load that people with mental illness bear. 

Janice D'Amours White is on the board of directors of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Western Massachusetts. She lives in Feeding Hills.

 ****************************** 

2. THE MIAMI HERALD, September 1, 2001 

[Editor's Note: One of our catch lines is that the use of assisted outpatient treatment and mental health courts "not only allows judges to commit a person to the system, it allows them to commit the system to the person." Although the person here has developmental disabilities rather than mental illness and the services here were not immediately available, that axiom is depicted in the article below. How much closer attention do you think Darren Cooper will get because of Judge Ginger Lerner-Wren's intervention?] 

DISABLED MAN SITS IN MIAMI JAIL FOR TRESPASSING BECAUSE NO OTHER HELP IS AVAILABLE 

By CAROL MARBIN MILLER MIAMI 

Darren Cooper has not slept in his own bed for five years. When the 23-year-old disabled man was not bunking in the county jail on trespassing charges, he camped in his mother's backyard. On Friday night, Cooper at last slept on a mattress with box springs _ thanks to a Broward County judge who blasted state social services officials for failing to help him. 

"Why is this court serving as watchdog when other agencies are paid to be the watchdog?," Broward County Judge Ginger Lerner-Wren said to Department of Children and Families officials in a hearing Friday. "I am not a watchdog." 

"Who is taking responsibility for disabled citizens in this state? Why is it falling on this court?" 

Cooper, 23, is mentally retarded. Five years ago, he began living in his mother's backyard in a makeshift camp. Since last year, Cooper has been arrested four times in the yard either for trespassing or loitering after neighbors complained. Most recently, police arrested Cooper Aug. 7 on trespass after warning charges following a complaint from a neighbor. Cooper's mother could not be reached for comment Friday. Cooper wasn't able to answer a reporter's questions about his situation. Cooper ended up in Broward's Mental Health Court, before Lerner-Wren, who worked as a legal advocate for disabled people before taking the bench. 

Last week, she asked officials with the Department of Children & Families to find Cooper a place to live where he could get help coping with his disabilities. Instead, the department told her they could not find any money to pay for a group home in which Cooper could stay. "We've got a mentally retarded person sitting in jail because you have no money for an appropriate placement," Lerner-Wren scolded about a half-dozen Children & Families officials. 

Attorneys for the agency said DCF was "providing good services." "We're doing the best we can," said Doug Greenbaum. 

But Lerner-Wren would not be assuaged. "What is this? What is this," the judge demanded, waving a sheet of paper from the department explaining that only 10 developmentally disabled Floridians in "life-threatening crisis" could receive services each month. 

"Individuals all over the state are not getting served," the judge added. Chief Assistant Public Defender Howard Finkelstein pointed out that Cooper spent 20 days in jail without getting help from DCF. "He's been sitting in jail for the offense of not being able to take care of himself, for the offense of being retarded," Finkelstein said. 

Last month, a federal judge in Fort Lauderdale approved the settlement of a three-year-old lawsuit to improve services for Floridians like Cooper _ people with disabilities who can live outside of institutions with proper services and support. Since the suit was filed, lawmakers have set aside $300 million for such services. 

But demand for services has far outstripped funding. At the same time as DCF has mostly eliminated a decades-old waiting list, a new list has developed, said Peter Nimkoff, a senior attorney with the Tallahassee-based Advocacy Center for Persons with Disabilities, which filed the class-action suit. 

"They are not in violation of our agreement at this time, however unfortunate it may be, by creating a new waiting list," Nimkoff said. "Having said that, if persons are in crisis, they need to be served." Friday, after the hearing, DCF officials defended their actions in Cooper's case, saying they moved as quickly as possible to arrange services. DCF officials learned of Cooper's situation Aug. 8. 

On Aug. 13, they received a court order to evaluate him. The next day, a department caseworker visited Cooper in the Broward County jail, and a day later obtained his educational history from school officials, said Terry Keter, who heads the agency's developmental services office in Broward. 

On Aug. 17, the department submitted a report to the judge confirming Cooper's eligibility for services under Medicaid. But because of funding constraints, DCF could not pay for Cooper to move to a group home until at least October. As a stopgap measure, officials suggested he stay at an assisted living facility until then. 

The group home is operated by a doctor and designed for people with developmental disabilities who cannot live on their own; assisted living facilities are not designed for people with developmental disabilities. 

"Once we did find out about him, we took immediate action, appropriate action" said DCF spokeswoman Eva Coblentz. "We were very responsive in getting the services needed for this client." 

Lerner-Wren didn't see it that way. She told the department officials that Cooper needed to be in a group home specially designed for disabled people _ and not in an assisted living facility. Lerner-Wren relented and agreed to send Cooper to an assisted living facility only after Finkelstein reminded her that more time in jail was the only alternative. 

"Hasn't anybody noticed he's trespassing in his own house?" Finkelstein said. "He has nowhere to go. He is a child in his own mind, spending every single night alone in the yard. If that doesn't make you cry, we all have become too hard."

 ********************************  

Treatment Advocacy Center E-NEWS is a publication of the Treatment Advocacy Center.  

This E-NEWS is provided as a public service by the Treatment Advocacy Center. There is no fee. If you would also like to receive a free subscription to the Catalyst, our bimonthly hardcopy newsletter please forward your mailing address to info@psychlaws.org.  

The Center does not accept donations from pharmaceutical companies. Support from individuals who share our mission, however, is essential to our ability to effectively help our most vulnerable citizens. The Treatment Advocacy Center is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. All contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. Donations to the Treatment Advocacy Center should be sent to:  

3300 N. Fairfax Drive 
Suite 220 
Arlington, VA 22201 
703/294-6001 (main no.) 
703/294-6010 (fax)  

Opinions expressed in this web site do not necessarily reflect the views of NAMI Santa Cruz County, NAMI California or any affiliated organizations.  We attempt to present a balanced perspective on issues by presenting multiple viewpoints.

Copyright 2005 National Alliance for the Mentally Ill Santa Cruz County, All Rights Reserved.

FAIR USE NOTICE: This may contain copyrighted (©) material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Such material is made available to advance understanding of ecological, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc. It is believed that this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml  If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.