(May 12, 2014) A person’s lack of insight into his or her own illness is the biggest barrier to treatment, not stigma, Amy Yannello writes in the San Francisco Chronicle (“Support Laura’s Law for better mental illness care,” May 8).
But events scheduled around this month’s Mental Health Awareness Month are still promising to reduce barriers to treatment by “raising awareness.”
This week in California, a one-day event with the goal of decreasing stigma promises speeches, stories of empowerment, food, a minor league baseball game – and will cost taxpayers $137,000. This is in a state where several rural or small counties have no permanent psychiatrist or psychiatric inpatient treatment beds available, according to the California Psychiatric Association.
“Apart from the thousands of lime-green ‘awareness ribbons’ that ultimately will litter the [state Capitol’s] lawn . . . it's difficult to see how this group's state-sponsored extravaganza will do anything to expand treatment options for Californians with severe and persistent mental illness,” Yannello writes.
Even worse, Yannello says, is that some from that same group have used taxpayer dollars to lobby against Laura’s Law, which would bring court-ordered treatment to a small subset of people with serious mental illness, many of whom lack insight into their illness and refuse voluntary services.
They also have spread false information about the law, Yannello continues, including the incorrect claim that Mental Health Services Act funding cannot be directed toward assisted outpatient treatment.
“By actively lobbying to ensure counties do not implement assisted outpatient treatment (AOT) programs, Laura’s Law opponents ensure that only the most high-functioning Californians with mental health issues - the ones who are able to voluntarily voice their need for services, not the most seriously ill - receive help.”
As a result of efforts to block Laura’s Law and prevent treatment options from getting to those who lack awareness of their illness, “the homeless population continues to grow, as do the number of mentally ill who cycle in and out of our emergency rooms, state hospitals, jails and prisons,” Yannello says.
In the meantime, valuable funding nominally geared towards fighting mental illness is instead spent on parties for those who oppose expanding options for the most severely ill Californians.
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