How does someone make coercion make sense? Particularly to themselves….
A recent blog post by Pat Deegan told us that the technology now exists for a doctor to tell by his computer based on transmitters placed in the medication when the medication was taken, and the effects on the physical system. She says that proposals have been made to use this technology in studies of medication for schizophrenics. How long she wonders (and me too) before the self appointed guardians of the welfare of the mentally ill suggest that this make perfect sense for all the “mentally ill.”
What is the path to such conclusions? Here is how I think you must think.
- The mentally ill are fundamentally broken. Nothing can really change that.
- Some of their symptoms can be managed by medication.
- Without management these people are a danger to the people around them and to themselves.
- Their disease prevents them from understanding what is going on with them or making wise decisions about what to do. Disagreeing with a recommended course of treatment is an expression of the disease and not a judgement about the value of the recommendation regardless of how much they protest.
- If they continue to refuse treatment they need to be seperated from the rest of us for their good and our protection until they agree to be “responsible” and take their medication.
- It is the role of society to take care of these poor people who cant take care of themselves or make good decisions.
- The proper role of the mental health system is then to coerce people who dont have the ability to make good decisions about their lives to folow the decisions that other people have made for them. Ultimately it is for their good.
- Technology should be utilized as possible to make this effort more effective.
- Maybe if we had a way to put something in their medication to make sure they were taking it that might really help. After all they have proven that they really dont want to do this. It reduces the chances of someone lying about taking their medication and getting away with it.
What do you think? Is this thinking substantially present in the mental health system as you experience it? If it is what reason is there to expect in time that many people will not argue that we should follow wherever technology leads in our efforts to “help these poor people.”
January 24, 2012 at 7:43 pm |
Can you send the link to this blog by Pat Deegan? Sounds like science fiction though with advances in nano-technology, maybe not.
January 25, 2012 at 11:10 am |
Many of our mentally ill are a danger to themselves and others.But i blame the community mental health organizations for the lack of continuity of care that leads to danger to themselves and others.They do not keep these folks safe.they come by and check and if the person says he is not a danger even after a family member had just been threatened or he has harmed him or shes self they leave.These mental health organizations are putting these people in harms way .Resulting in incarceration and or death.It has to be changed this broken system we call mental health treatment.Too many are giving up hope..I dont claim to be an expert but i can tell you most of our mentally are being punished in our prison system in Az.many are not receiving medication or syc units to ensure safety.many are put in general population.not being able to defend themselves bullied and raped in some cases.not to mention they are punished for the very disease they suffer.THE MENTALLY ILL NEED HOSPITALS NOT TOMBS.Suicide inside is easier. Tony Lester committed suicide last year.24 years old .A waisted life inside the walls of AZ prisons.i am a mother of a SMI son incarcerated un rehabilitated and in some opinion tortured by his mental illness.The Director Of The Nation Association Of HCV Task Force prison Reform Rep Az.