A State of Psychosis
In fairness, The Rag Box wishes to point out that Georgia, Montana, Hawaii, and Ohio all carry similar laws for the mentally challenged.
In Virginia, as in the other states listed, it is a Catch-22 situation. With a twist. You cannot be proven to be deranged until you commit a deranged act. Most states have removed the term "imminent" from their mental facility admittance requirements, meaning for example, in the State of Florida, one can be "Baker Acted" for 72 hours to determine the nature and extent of their illness and whether the individual thus incarcerated poses an imminent threat to themselves or others.
Contrary to the opinion of some, the mentally ill are often quite capable of functioning at a very high level of competence, even without treatment, if, during those periods, their symptoms are on the wane (for example, a Bipolar patient between manic and depressive episodes.) This makes it possible for someone like Cho Seung-Hui, the mass murderer at Virginia Tech to say "I'm not suicidal, and I have no intention of walking onto the VT campus and slaying 32 people." Under current Virginia law, the response to this would be "Good enough for us. Have a nice day."
All of the warning signs were there of course. His professors. Other students. All complaining of his disturbing writings and communications.
Seung-Hui WASevaluated but when he stated that he was "not suicidal," that was sufficient proof that all was well. Except for the Special Judge appointed to review the case. It was determined at a hearing that Mister Seung-hui was in fact, an imminent danger to himself, but not others, hence, outpatient assistance.
Outpatient care for the mentally ill is like asking someone to do something they have absolutely no intention of doing, even if it means it will help them. As is often the case, the mentally ill stop taking their medications as soon as they feel better, if that long. There is no one available to see that they are taking their medications, so their pills may as well be flushed down the commode, as were the lives of 32 individuals, through a system that should have been far better prepared to deal with this true act of insanity.
There seems to be a fear among some in Virginia that to invoke a situation where an individual will be incarcerated unfairly will deprive them of some certain rights.
"We certainly welcome any effort to reform our system and make it as helpful as possible for treatment as well as public safety," said James Reinhard, the state mental health commissioner. Helpful as possible? Hey Reinhard, how about studying the mental laws for the other 45 states and see how you might apply them to your own situation.
For an excellent account of the "system" in Virginia, is to read Peter Early's "Crazy: A Father's Search Through America's Mental Health Madness."
In Virginia, as in the other states listed, it is a Catch-22 situation. With a twist. You cannot be proven to be deranged until you commit a deranged act. Most states have removed the term "imminent" from their mental facility admittance requirements, meaning for example, in the State of Florida, one can be "Baker Acted" for 72 hours to determine the nature and extent of their illness and whether the individual thus incarcerated poses an imminent threat to themselves or others.
Contrary to the opinion of some, the mentally ill are often quite capable of functioning at a very high level of competence, even without treatment, if, during those periods, their symptoms are on the wane (for example, a Bipolar patient between manic and depressive episodes.) This makes it possible for someone like Cho Seung-Hui, the mass murderer at Virginia Tech to say "I'm not suicidal, and I have no intention of walking onto the VT campus and slaying 32 people." Under current Virginia law, the response to this would be "Good enough for us. Have a nice day."
All of the warning signs were there of course. His professors. Other students. All complaining of his disturbing writings and communications.
Seung-Hui WASevaluated but when he stated that he was "not suicidal," that was sufficient proof that all was well. Except for the Special Judge appointed to review the case. It was determined at a hearing that Mister Seung-hui was in fact, an imminent danger to himself, but not others, hence, outpatient assistance.
Outpatient care for the mentally ill is like asking someone to do something they have absolutely no intention of doing, even if it means it will help them. As is often the case, the mentally ill stop taking their medications as soon as they feel better, if that long. There is no one available to see that they are taking their medications, so their pills may as well be flushed down the commode, as were the lives of 32 individuals, through a system that should have been far better prepared to deal with this true act of insanity.
There seems to be a fear among some in Virginia that to invoke a situation where an individual will be incarcerated unfairly will deprive them of some certain rights.
"We certainly welcome any effort to reform our system and make it as helpful as possible for treatment as well as public safety," said James Reinhard, the state mental health commissioner. Helpful as possible? Hey Reinhard, how about studying the mental laws for the other 45 states and see how you might apply them to your own situation.
For an excellent account of the "system" in Virginia, is to read Peter Early's "Crazy: A Father's Search Through America's Mental Health Madness."
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