Calif law to force mentally ill to get treatment

[Cypress]

California Law to Force the Mentally Ill to Get Treatment


SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — More Californians with untreated mental illness and addiction issues could be detained against their will and forced into treatment under a new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, a move to help overhaul the state’s mental health system and address its growing homelessness crisis.

The new law, which reforms the state’s conservatorship system, expands the definition of “gravely disabled” to include people who are unable to provide themselves basic needs such as food and shelter due to an untreated mental illness or unhealthy drugs and alcohol use. Local governments say current state laws leave their hands tied if a person refuses to receive help.

The law is designed to make it easier for authorities to provide care to people with untreated mental illness or addictions to alcohol and drugs, many of whom are homeless.

 

[Yakuda]

California Law to Force the Mentally Ill to Get Treatment


SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — More Californians with untreated mental illness and addiction issues could be detained against their will and forced into treatment under a new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, a move to help overhaul the state’s mental health system and address its growing homelessness crisis.

The new law, which reforms the state’s conservatorship system, expands the definition of “gravely disabled” to include people who are unable to provide themselves basic needs such as food and shelter due to an untreated mental illness or unhealthy drugs and alcohol use. Local governments say current state laws leave their hands tied if a person refuses to receive help.

The law is designed to make it easier for authorities to provide care to people with untreated mental illness or addictions to alcohol and drugs, many of whom are homeless.

It's a double edged sword. I hate the idea of involuntarily admitting people to the hospital but it's also inhumane to let people just roam the streets with an untreated mental illness and/or addiction.

 

[Phantasmal]

California Law to Force the Mentally Ill to Get Treatment


SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — More Californians with untreated mental illness and addiction issues could be detained against their will and forced into treatment under a new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, a move to help overhaul the state’s mental health system and address its growing homelessness crisis.

The new law, which reforms the state’s conservatorship system, expands the definition of “gravely disabled” to include people who are unable to provide themselves basic needs such as food and shelter due to an untreated mental illness or unhealthy drugs and alcohol use. Local governments say current state laws leave their hands tied if a person refuses to receive help.

The law is designed to make it easier for authorities to provide care to people with untreated mental illness or addictions to alcohol and drugs, many of whom are homeless.

I hope they also supply some type of job training and placement program. It will be interesting to see the percentage that return to the streets after treatment.

 

[Cypress]

It's a double edged sword. I hate the idea of involuntarily admitting people to the hospital but it's also inhumane to let people just roam the streets with an untreated mental illness and/or addiction.

Business owners and the general public have rights too. When you have a szizophrenic camping out in front of your store and yelling at customers, it effects your life and livelihood too.

 

[Yakuda]

Business owners and the general public have rights too. When you have a szizophrenic camping out in front of your store and yelling at customers, it effects your life and livelihood too.

I don't believe anything I posted contradicts that but the business owner isnt the one being involuntarily admitted to the hospital. The process known as "deinstitutionalization" started some 60-70 years ago for very good reasons. Balancing rights is always a double edged sword as i said.

 

[Cypress]

I hope they also supply some type of job training and placement program. It will be interesting to see the percentage that return to the streets after treatment.

That would be good.

A lot of people with severe illnesses like schizophrenia are never going to be able to consistently hold jobs. With their condition, they can qualify for social security disability, section 8 housing, food stamps, Medicaid, etc. Most of them have never been diagnosed, so they are just out there panhandling, when there are programs designed for them. Social workers should help them apply for these benefits while they are getting treatment.

 

[SmarterthanYou]

I actually support this, surprisingly CA and Newsom have a good idea. This could help people who have been suffering on the streets and allow those who cannot get mentally better to stay off the streets.

 

[Bigdog]

I don't believe anything I posted contradicts that but the business owner isnt the one being involuntarily admitted to the hospital. The process known as "deinstitutionalization" started some 60-70 years ago for very good reasons. Balancing rights is always a double edged sword as i said.

Yep, JFk's 1963 CMHA dumped tons of patients on the streets with no where to go.

Cali is unprepared to provide for the patients they arrest and institutionalize, just as the democrats were in 1963.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_Mental_Health_Act

 

[SmarterthanYou]

I also think that any homeless veterans they commit need to be housed and paid for by the VA

 

[T. A. Gardner]

That would be good.

A lot of people with severe illnesses like schizophrenia are never going to be able to consistently hold jobs. With their condition, they can qualify for social security disability, section 8 housing, food stamps, Medicaid, etc. Most of them have never been diagnosed, so they are just out there panhandling, when there are programs designed for them. Social workers should help them apply for these benefits while they are getting treatment.

The problem becomes they by accident or design stop taking their meds and relapse ending up back on the streets. This sort of thing then becomes a revolving door rather than a way out of being homeless...

 

[T. A. Gardner]

I also think that any homeless veterans they commit need to be housed and paid for by the VA

That's fine, but actual veterans make up a tiny fraction of the homeless population. Note: Virtually all 'studies' of homelessness rely on self-reporting by homeless persons interviewed for it on their veteran status. That is, the report makes no attempt to verify this claim, so veteran status is almost always grossly overstated.

 

[Damocles]

California Law to Force the Mentally Ill to Get Treatment


SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — More Californians with untreated mental illness and addiction issues could be detained against their will and forced into treatment under a new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, a move to help overhaul the state’s mental health system and address its growing homelessness crisis.

The new law, which reforms the state’s conservatorship system, expands the definition of “gravely disabled” to include people who are unable to provide themselves basic needs such as food and shelter due to an untreated mental illness or unhealthy drugs and alcohol use. Local governments say current state laws leave their hands tied if a person refuses to receive help.

The law is designed to make it easier for authorities to provide care to people with untreated mental illness or addictions to alcohol and drugs, many of whom are homeless.

And now we are back to sanatoriums... I hope to the little gods it does not go back to what we saw in the past...

https://www.npr.org/2008/03/07/87975196/remembering-an-infamous-new-york-institution

 

[Cypress]

The problem becomes they by accident or design stop taking their meds and relapse ending up back on the streets. This sort of thing then becomes a revolving door rather than a way out of being homeless...

Anytime proposals come up to provide better funding for our metal heath care systems, conservatives routinely vote against it.

These people do need support system

Ideally, that would include family members.

But if not, we need well funded systems of social workers, public clinics, and mental health specialists specifically dedicated to local law enforcement agencies

 

[cawacko]

I actually support this, surprisingly CA and Newsom have a good idea. This could help people who have been suffering on the streets and allow those who cannot get mentally better to stay off the streets.

I think it’s a great idea. SF, LA and California are not the only places with homelessness but no other places in the country have anywhere near the level we do. You can see video of it on TV, but until you see it on a daily basis there’s no way to fully understand it.

Not surprisingly there’s a large homeless coalition that fights measures like this so it’s almost shocking this will happen. But it’s really hard to understand those who look at these folks on the street and say this is ok.

 

[Bigdog]

Cali will use this law to put MAGA in Hillary's "re education" camps.

 

[Bigdog]

Anytime proposals come up to provide better funding for our metal heath care systems, conservatives routinely vote against it.

These people do need support system

Ideally, that would include family members.

But if not, we need well funded systems of social workers, public clinics, and mental health specialists specifically dedicated to local law enforcement agencies

Support is available, now. They don't want it. Many prefer living unrestricted on the streets.

 

[Cypress]

I don't believe anything I posted contradicts that but the business owner isnt the one being involuntarily admitted to the hospital. The process known as "deinstitutionalization" started some 60-70 years ago for very good reasons. Balancing rights is always a double edged sword as i said.

I don't think this is about institutionalization. Its about treating them until they are stabilized and releasing them

 

[Cypress]

Support is available, now. They don't want it. Many prefer living unrestricted on the streets.

People in the thrall of schizophrenia don't think there's anything wrong with them and they are walking around undiagnosed


MAGA can't wail about the homeless in San Francisco, and then spin around and wail when the state government takes steps to address it

 

[Bigdog]

People in the thrall of schizophrenia don't think there's anything wrong with them and they are walking around undiagnosed


MAGA can't wail about the homeless in San Francisco, and then spin around and wail when the state government takes steps to address it

What percentage of homeless are schizos?

SF's homelessness is created mostly by Dem policy.

 

[Yakuda]

I don't think this is about institutionalization. Its about treating them until they are stabilized and releasing them

Oh course it is. Once released they would need to continue their treatment regimen to remain stable. It's staying stable that's the problem not getting stable.