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Wasn't there a bill in the works a couple years ago to help get treatment for mental illnesses required in health insurance coverage, specifically schizophrenics? I wonder what happened to it.

At that time my family was struggling with trying to find a way to financially support my brother and we didn't have the money to afford his medication or proper treatment. That led to a greater deal of problems and money different states then had to spend keeping him from being a danger to others.

posted 2 years, 12 months ago
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Many of the comments on this page capture my concerns:

* To make it easier to commit, we need to feel confident that the services we have in place as a community for the committed exist and work. Despite having many caring and qualified individuals working in that system, we lack the funding and global community support we need to make it effective.

* We as a culture don't treat the mind and body as one. Despite many studies showing mood disorders and several mental illnesses as stemming from poor nutrition and emotional support, we put time and effort on creating band-aids rather than addressing the core influencers on the cause. I can't help but think of the geyser in the Gulf. We can keep trying to pump out the oil or we can work to stop it. In the end, where is our energy best spent? Clearly you need one while you're working on the other, but the latter is where our core focus and energy needs to be spent.

* As our culture moves away from being social and community focused into every-man-for-himself (see many conservative agendas) our collective health and well being decline. No matter how "independent" you want to be and think you are, we'll not address any core cultural and societal issues without the global support of each other. The act of committing someone comes from asking for help- not the convenience of getting rid of an inconvenience. Unfortunately, due to under funding and lack of community awareness and education, this support is hard to find. And when you do find it, it can be difficult to work together. Getting my brother's doctors, social workers and legal representatives to meet with me on a regular basis so we could collectively create a support plan for his release was worse than I can imagine pulling teeth from a baby would be.

posted 2 years, 12 months ago
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