{"id":2089808,"date":"2023-11-04T01:31:04","date_gmt":"2023-11-04T05:31:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/severe-mental-illness-the-ignored-public-health-crisis\/"},"modified":"2023-11-04T01:36:49","modified_gmt":"2023-11-04T05:36:49","slug":"severe-mental-illness-the-ignored-public-health-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/severe-mental-illness-the-ignored-public-health-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"Neglected: Severe Mental Illness as a Public Health Crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fsevere-mental-illness-the-ignored-public-health-crisis%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2089808&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><blockquote>\n<h2>Engaging Title: The Silent Crisis: The Struggle to Provide Adequate Care for Severe Mental Illness<\/h2>\n<h3>Heartbreaking Testimony Reveals the Desperate \u200dNeed \u2062for Change<\/h3>\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m \u200bafraid to die.&#8221; &#8220;What happens to my son when I die?&#8221; Treatment Advocacy\u2063 Center (TAC) Executive Director Lisa Dailey says she will never forget that testimony from a Virginia mother in her 80s who had spent \u2064much of her\u200c life caring for her son, now in his 50s, with severe mental illness.<\/p>\n<p>He was\u2064 unstable, \u2064but she couldn\u2019t get him into treatment because he didn&#8217;t think \u200danything was\u200d wrong with him.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"shortcode mx-auto max-w-[1100px]\">\n<div class=\"mb-6 flex flex-col gap-4 float-none mx-auto w-[200px] md:float-right md:ml-6\">\n<div class=\"flex gap-3 flex-col sm:block\">\n<div class=\"flex-1\">\n<div class=\"relative\" style=\"padding-bottom:128.63%\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">Lisa Dailey, executive director \u200cof the Treatment Advocacy \u200bCenter in Arlington, Va.\u200c (Treatment Advocacy Center)<\/div>\n<div class=\"bg-comp-divider h-px\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cThe difference between a person with a heart attack\u2062 and a person who \u200dhas psychosis is that a person with a \u200dheart attack \u2064is willing to receive care, and they want the care,&#8221;\u200c Ms. Dailey\u200c told The Epoch Times. &#8220;The person in psychosis might be actively fighting against it. They might have to be tied down to \u200breceive \u200ccare, and that is perceived differently by the medical system.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;There doesn&#8217;t seem to be a full acknowledgment on the \u2062part of the medical system that a \u2064person who is refusing care may not have the capacity\u2064 to be refusing care.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The \u2062Treatment Advocacy Center is a national nonprofit dedicated to eliminating barriers to the treatment of mental illness. In the \u200cUnited States, 8.8 million \u200cpeople\u2014roughly the\u2062 size of the population of New York City\u2014suffer from severe mental illness, and nearly half of them go untreated in any given year, according to TAC data.<\/p>\n<p>In 1963, President John F. Kennedy signed\u2063 the Community Mental Health Act, \u200bwhich was supposed to decrease the number of\u200b institutionalized individuals in psychiatric hospitals by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/severe-mental-illness-the-ignored-public-health-crisis\/\" title=\"Neglected: Severe Mental Illness as a Public Health Crisis\">creating local mental health care centers<\/a>. The local centers weren&#8217;t funded; most were never built. But many psychiatric \u200bhospitals closed anyway.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\">\n<figure style=\"width:600px\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>  President John F. Kennedy signs the Mental Retardation \u2063Facilities and\u200b Community Mental Health Center \u200dConstruction Act at \u200bthe \u2063White House \u2064on Oct. 31, 1963. \u2062(John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<h2>No Meaningful Support<\/h2>\n<p>Today, there\u2063 isn&#8217;t a clear path\u200d for\u200c those with severe mental illness.\u200b Care is left to family members, for those who have someone able to help.\u200d Others often end up alone, homeless, or in prison as they \u200dtry to find their way while living with a thought \u200bdisorder.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Each year, 21 percent of total law enforcement staff time is used to respond to and transport individuals with mental illness. For example, in 2020, the family of a Lancaster, Pennsylvania, man called the police to remove a\u2062 loved one from their home during a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/supreme-court-sides-with-man-fighting-gun-seizure-after-mental-health-episode\/\" title=\"Supreme Court Sides With Man Fighting Gun Seizure After Mental Health Episode\">mental health episode<\/a>. Ricardo Miguel Munoz, \u206227, was holding a \u200dknife to his neck when the \u200cpolice \u2064arrived. Mr. Munoz charged at an officer and was about to stab the officer, a \u200cpolice body camera\u2063 recording shows, when the officer fatally\u2062 shot him.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. \u200bMunoz had been awaiting a court date on an alleged previous stabbing \u2064of\u200d four people and had a stalking incident in his history. His family said in news reports that \u200dthey wanted mental health help for him.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode\">\n<div id=\"in_article_related_stories\" class=\"mx-auto mb-4 w-full max-w-[500px] px-4 text-[16px] leading-[20px] text-[#262626] md:float-right\">\n<div class=\"mb-4 border-b border-black pb-1\">\n<h2 class=\"font-sans text-[16px] font-semibold leading-5 text-black\">More Articles<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-6 flex gap-4\">\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[70px] sm:basis-[120px] md:basis-[268px]\">\n        <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/health\/a-root-cause-of-mental-illness-harvard-professor-5357396?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"relative\" style=\"padding-bottom:60%\"><\/div>\n<p>        <\/a>\n      <\/div>\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-3 sm:line-clamp-6\">\n          <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/health\/a-root-cause-of-mental-illness-harvard-professor-5357396?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"text-sm sm:text-[18px] sm:leading-[22px]\">A Root Cause of Mental Illness: Harvard Professor<\/h3>\n<p>          <\/a>\n        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-6 flex gap-4\">\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[70px] sm:basis-[120px] md:basis-[268px]\">\n        <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/epochtv\/heres-how-one-doctor-is-reversing-mental-illness-5400678?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"relative\" style=\"padding-bottom:60%\"><\/div>\n<p>        <\/a>\n      <\/div>\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-3 sm:line-clamp-6\">\n          <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/epochtv\/heres-how-one-doctor-is-reversing-mental-illness-5400678?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"text-sm sm:text-[18px] sm:leading-[22px]\">Here\u2019s How One Doctor \u2064Is \u2064Reversing Mental Illness<\/h3>\n<p>          <\/a>\n        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cOur entire medical system\u2062 for people with severe \u2064mental \u200dillness \u2064is predicated on the idea that family \u2063is responsible\u200d for\u2064 providing the majority of the \u2064care, in their homes, at their own expense, without any support, \u2063and without any of\u2063 the tools \u200dthey would \u200dneed to be able to\u2063 make that actually work,\u201d Ms. Dailey said.<\/p>\n<p>Severe\u2064 mental illness involves psychosis, or \u200ba patient losing touch with reality. Often, these are people \u2062with \u2064schizophrenia \u2063or bipolar disorder.\u2064 While in psychosis, the behavior is \u2064unpredictable and sometimes dangerous. They may walk out \u2063into traffic, fear others are trying to \u200bharm them, or find\u200b a weapon and harm the public. About half of them have anosognosia, or lack of \u200cinsight into their illness. That is, they don&#8217;t understand\u200b that they have a\u2063 mental illness, refuse to take\u200d medication,\u2063 and won\u2019t \u200dgo for treatment.<\/p>\n<p>The laws governing mental health are different in \u200deach state, but there\u2063 are some common \u200cproblems nationwide, including limited\u200c psychiatric bed space in hospitals, a shortage of psychiatrists, \u2064a\u2064 high bar toward getting into\u2062 a hospital for treatment,\u2064 and often the release of \u200bpatients with a chronic \u2062mental\u200c health condition with\u2062 no plan after release.<\/p>\n<p>The Medicaid Institutions for Mental\u200c Disease (IMDs) Exclusion is one barrier to finding in-patient care.\u2064 The IMD Exclusion\u2063 prohibits\u2062 states from using Medicaid to pay\u2062 for care provided in psychiatric hospitals or\u2062 other residential\u2064 treatment facilities that have more than 16 beds.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt&#8217;s the\u200c only kind of illness that has that, so\u2062 that&#8217;s one \u2063policy thing \u200bwe should get rid of,\u201d Ms. Dailey said. \u201cIt&#8217;s totally discriminatory, and it discourages the building of facilities.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:1200px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"aligncenter\"><figcaption>  A homeless \u2062man sleeps on a\u200d park bench in the \u200dBrooklyn borough of New York, in this file photo. (Spencer\u200c Platt\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<h2>Loved Ones Watch and Worry<\/h2>\n<p>While neither the details nor a specific diagnosis are publicly known, police have reported that Robert Card, the\u200c suspect in the Lewiston, Maine, fatal shootings of 18 people, \u200bhad recently reported\u200c mental\u2064 health issues, including hearing voices. He had threatened to shoot\u2064 up the National Guard base in Saco, Maine, and during the summer, was admitted \u2064to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/girl-convicted-in-slender-man-stabbing-case-makes-request-for-early-release\/\" title=\"Girl convicted in Slender Man stabbing case makes request for early release\">mental health facility<\/a> for two weeks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"shortcode mx-auto max-w-[1100px]\">\n<div class=\"mb-6 flex flex-col gap-4 float-none mx-auto w-[200px] md:float-left md:mr-6\">\n<div class=\"flex gap-3 flex-col sm:block\">\n<div class=\"flex-1\">\n<div class=\"relative\" style=\"padding-bottom:136.45%\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">Robert\u200d Card points a gun while entering a bowling alley\u200b in Lewiston, Maine, on Oct. \u200b25, 2023. (Androscoggin County Sheriff&#8217;s Office via \u200cAP)<\/div>\n<div class=\"bg-comp-divider h-px\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cI know exactly what [families of those with severe mental illness] think when they see these things,&#8221; Ms. Dailey said. &#8220;You&#8217;re\u2062 angry at the system that \u200bdischarged him after two weeks because that was your \u2063opportunity to get somebody treated and prevent something like this from happening.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat&#8217;s what family members are always thinking about\u2014this could happen. It\u200d is\u200b very difficult \u2063to predict what psychosis might\u2063 cause a \u2063person to do. But when \u200bthere is an \u2063opportunity, the medical system\u200d isn&#8217;t\u200c doing what \u2064it can to try to take that opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A Pennsylvania\u200b mother \u200cin her 60s watching the\u2063 news\u2064 worries about her son, who has a\u200c severe\u2062 mental illness and \u2062was recently released from the hospital but\u2063 is still \u2062showing symptoms.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWill my loved one do such a \u200bthing? I know the possibility is there,&#8221; \u2064said \u200cthe woman, whose name The Epoch Times is \u200bwithholding for \u2064privacy reasons.\u2063 &#8220;We all know \u2063it. It is an uncontrollable condition caused by their mind not functioning right.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>She feels numb from fear and \u2063anger, and also a\u200d sense \u2062of helplessness\u2063 every time she hears of mass killings by someone with a mental\u200b illness.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMust this\u2064 fear always be there?\u201d \u2063she asks,\u2062 adding\u2063 that people wonder why the family doesn\u2019t \u200cget them help. \u200d\u201cIt\u2019s not\u200c there. The system doesn\u2019t care.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As her son\u2019s caregiver, she\u2062 said that one problem that she faces is communicating with doctors about his care. Once her son turned 14, the state considered him old enough to\u200b be able to refuse to share his medical information with\u200b his \u2064mother.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2063 said, \u2018But he&#8217;s not in his right mind. How can a child refuse their parents&#8217; help when total strangers\u2064 are overseeing his \u2062care?\u2019\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Now, he&#8217;s an adult, \u200dand she wants to understand what\u2064 he experienced during a\u2064 recent hospital stay and \u200dwhy he was abruptly discharged.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNow that \u200che&#8217;s over 18, I&#8217;m not permitted to see his\u200d medical records,\u201d \u2063she said, noting that her son says that the \u200cpapers that he came \u2062home with have the wrong treatment\u200b written, and she wants to compare those \u200bdischarge papers with\u200d his hospital\u200d records.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s what Ms. Dailey calls \u200cthe HIPPA handcuffs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey could release information in a lot more circumstances than they do, but they don&#8217;t have \u200bto,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt really isn&#8217;t the language of HIPPA \u200claw that&#8217;s the problem. It&#8217;s the culture of treatment that doesn&#8217;t want to involve family members and doesn&#8217;t want \u200cto share information for whatever reason. I think the only way that you&#8217;re going to fix that is\u200c to \u2064either create \u200da mandate or clarify overall what the role of caregivers is.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:900px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"aligncenter\"><figcaption>  \u2062An overflow crowd watches a broadcast of a\u200c remembrance\u200d ceremony for those killed by shooter Robert Card, at \u200dthe Basilica\u200b of Saints Peter and Paul in Lewston, Maine, on Oct. 29, 2023. (Joe Raedle\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<h2>Systemic Failure<\/h2>\n<p>There are systems of support involving lifetime care for people with dementia or severe autism. While a person with Down syndrome or \u200cautism spectrum\u2062 disorder can live independently with support and resources, Ms. Dailey said, there&#8217;s nothing set up to coordinate care in the same\u200c way for adults who are severely mentally ill.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cOur system is \u200cbased on the\u2062 false \u200dpremise that what you need to do is wait for \u200dsomebody to decide that \u200dthey need treatment,\u2062 and then\u2063 they&#8217;ll get treatment,\u2063 and it will work, and they&#8217;ll be \u2063completely back to \u200bnormal, which is not really what\u2062 those illnesses are like,\u201d she said. \u201cEspecially with\u2063 very severe illnesses.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The idea is, if you have schizophrenia and \u200byou\u200d take your medication, you can then go back to your 9-to-5 work and support yourself. That&#8217;s true for a very small percentage of\u200b people with schizophrenia. It is \u200da\u2063 very disabling disease, even if you are medicated and stable. And the\u200b resources we do provide for people who are in\u2064 that \u2062circumstance are not adequate to that level of disability.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In the rare, best-case scenario, in which\u200d someone\u2063 recognizes that they have an illness that requires daily, lifelong medication,\u2062 she\u200d said, the system \u200bstill isn&#8217;t set up to coordinate their care by assuring that they have\u200d a place to\u2063 live or that they \u2062have all of the benefits that they&#8217;re eligible for. They\u2063 may need help getting a SNAP card for buying food and someone to keep up with their Medicaid paperwork and to ensure that they connect with programs that might be available.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n  <a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2023\/11\/02\/id5521973-6.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p>It can be tough for anyone to navigate this paperwork, Ms. Dailey said, but we leave it up to the\u200c individual with a thought disorder to figure\u2063 out what society can do to help them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen \u200byou look at dementia care, we have some\u2063 sense of how\u2063 that is supposed to work. We have nursing homes and \u2064facilities\u2062 that are available for people who require a\u200c level of care\u200c for severe disability. We don&#8217;t really have \u2063anything that&#8217;s analogous for people with severe mental illnesses that \u2062are \u2062disabling, where they&#8217;re not going to be living fully independently without a lot \u200bof support.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We have created a\u200c system \u200cwhere that support really only comes from voluntary help from family members, and there&#8217;s no plan for \u2064what\u200c happens for people who outlive their \u200bfamily members, which \u200dmost \u200bof them do.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Not enough people are\u2064 advocating on behalf of those\u200d with severe mental illness, the Pennsylvania mother said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo \u2064one&#8217;s talking about it. \u2062No one&#8217;s doing anything about it,\u201d she said, noting that she&#8217;s including the politicians who could move policy, the patients who\u200d don\u2019t have \u2063the insight, and the\u200d family members who don&#8217;t have the strength \u200dand time.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:900px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"aligncenter\"><figcaption>  A hallway leading to patients&#8217; \u2062rooms\u2063 in the main building \u200dof the shuttered Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in Weston, \u200bW.Va., on \u2062Aug. 24, 2013. \u200c(EVA HAMBACH\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<h2>Wishful Thinking<\/h2>\n<p>Although \u200bit can take weeks or months to see the results \u200cof psychiatric medication, patients \u200bare often discharged before they&#8217;re ready. Because there are few long-term options, the emergency room \u200cis often the first stop for a person \u200cin a mental health crisis. If there&#8217;s no place to send them for long-term care, the\u2064 emergency \u200brooms stabilize them, often with medicine that\u200b will sedate them, \u2063Ms.\u2064 Dailey said, \u2063\u201cthen let them out and \u2064hope that they continue to \u200cseek treatment in \u200bthe community.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n  <a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2023\/11\/02\/id5521974-7.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p>The stopgap solution is families stepping in\u2014if they exist.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFamilies are terrified, limping along, doing the best that \u2064they can, absolutely furious and confused about why there isn&#8217;t something more available for them,\u201d Ms. Dailey said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVery few people require institutional living on a long-term basis, and that isn&#8217;t the \u200cgoal anybody should have. There&#8217;s a\u2062 difference between having psychiatric hospital beds available for\u2062 six\u200b months to \u2063stabilize\u200c somebody\u2062 and warehousing someone in institutional care for the rest of their lives. \u2064But people talk about those things as if\u2062 they&#8217;re the same.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe plan for this like it&#8217;s a broken leg.\u200c Like you&#8217;re going to set it in a cast, it&#8217;s going to heal itself, and then \u2062that person can\u200b take\u2063 care\u200d of themselves.\u200d [That&#8217;s] instead of\u2064 it \u200bbeing more like a dementia \u200ccase, or \u200ceven diabetes, where you \u2064have to do certain things to maintain an illness that&#8217;s chronic \u2062and can have \u200cperiods \u200cwhere you&#8217;re\u2062 doing better and periods\u2064 where you&#8217;re\u2062 doing worse.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\">\n<figure style=\"width:600px\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>  An Iraq War \u200bveteran walks in his kitchen near some of the many prescription drugs he has been prescribed by doctors to help him cope with\u2064 his PTSD, in this \u2063file photo. (Chris Hondros\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>About half of the \u2062population of people with\u2064 severe mental illness are untreated because of a lack of\u200c insight into their condition, according to TAC. About \u206430 percent of the\u2063 chronically homeless population is estimated to have \u2062severe mental illness. More \u200bthan 1.8 \u2062million people with severe \u2063mental illness are booked into jails every\u2064 year, and they account for 20 percent of jail and prison inmates.<\/p>\n<p>These \u2063individuals are often crime victims, and as many as half of those with schizophrenia or bipolar\u2062 disorder attempt suicide.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode mx-auto max-w-[1100px]\">\n<div class=\"mb-6 flex flex-col gap-4 float-none mx-auto w-[200px] md:float-right md:ml-6\">\n<div class=\"flex gap-3 flex-col sm:block\">\n<div class=\"flex-1\">\n<div class=\"relative\" style=\"padding-bottom:141%\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Some \u206329 percent of family homicides \u2063are \u200ccommitted by someone with severe \u2063mental illness; 7 percent of all homicides, \u200b20 percent of all law enforcement officer fatalities, and \u2062up to 50 percent of mass homicides are \u200dassociated with \u2063severe mental \u200cillness, according to TAC.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur policies about \u2063this, especially within the medical system, are not based on what we\u2064 actually know about the trajectory of what works in \u200ban illness like this; it is based on wishful thinking,\u201d Ms. Dailey said.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond the \u2064prevention of homelessness or \u2063a criminal incident, the\u200d wish for \u200cthe Pennsylvania mother is to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mississippi-gov-signs-bill-enacting-level-playing-field-for-electric-vehicle-companies-and-traditional-dealerships\/\" title=\"Mississippi Gov. Signs Bill Enacting Level Playing Field for Electric Vehicle Companies and Traditional Dealerships\">find long-term solutions<\/a> that will allow her \u2062son \u200bto live \u200ca safe, dignified life with meaning and purpose.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s a \u2062wish \u201cnot only \u2062for\u200b my son but for all \u2064that have to endure it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2>Who is the\u200b education reporter in the Portland Press Herald?<\/h2>\n<p><span>Lana Cohen\u200b &#8211; Education Reporter &#8211; The Portland\u200d Press Herald \u2062| LinkedIn.\u2063 Eptember 2021. According to \u200chis friends and family, Card had\u2064 struggled with mental\u200c illness for years. His \u200bfather, Ernest Card, told the Portland Press Herald, \u200d\u201cWe\u2063 loved him and tried\u2064 to help him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This tragic incident \u200chighlights the challenges faced \u2064by loved ones of\u2064 individuals with mental illness. They often witness their family member&#8217;s \u200csuffering and\u2063 struggle to find the care and \u2063support they need. Many are frustrated by the limited resources and barriers to \u2062treatment,\u2064 such as the IMD Exclusion mentioned\u2064 earlier.<\/p>\n<p>Family members often bear\u200b the responsibility of caring for \u2063their loved one with\u2063 mental illness, even though they\u200d may \u2062lack the knowledge,\u2063 skills, and resources to provide adequate care. They may also face stigma and judgment from society, which\u200c can further isolate and discourage them.<\/p>\n<p>Advocates, such as Ms. \u2063Dailey mentioned \u200din \u2064the previous section, \u200bcall for\u2063 policy \u2064changes\u200b to address\u200c these issues and provide better support for families and individuals with\u2062 mental \u2063illness. They argue that investing in mental health resources \u2063and removing barriers to care is \u2064not only \u200cessential for\u2062 the well-being of those affected\u200b but also for \u200dpublic safety.<\/p>\n<p>Mental illness is\u2064 a\u2064 complex \u2063issue that requires\u2063 a multifaceted approach. \u2063It is crucial to prioritize both early intervention and\u200b ongoing care for individuals with mental illness. Equally important is \u200dthe provision\u2063 of resources, education,\u200b and support for their loved ones, who\u2062 play a vital role in their care and recovery.<\/p>\n<p>As society continues to grapple with the impact of mental \u2063illness, it is essential to foster compassion, understanding, and empathy. By working together and \u200cadvocating for change, we can create a more inclusive\u200d and supportive environment for those \u200caffected \u200bby mental illness\u2063 and their loved\u2064 ones.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I&#8217;m scared of death. What about my son after I&#8217;m gone? Lisa Dailey, Executive Director of Treatment Advocacy Center (TAC), recalls the heartbreaking words of an elderly Virginia mother. She dedicated her life to caring for her mentally ill son, now in his 50s, and worries about his future once she&#8217;s no longer there.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":104,"featured_media":2089809,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2089808","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2089808","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/104"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2089808"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2089808\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2089809"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2089808"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2089808"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2089808"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}