I recently called in to a radio show expressing how I wished that there was the same passion behind improving our mental health system that there is to changing gun laws. As a parent of a son with severe mental illness, the attention given to gun laws as opposed to mental illness disturbs me greatly.
I know the obstacle-ridden labyrinth you must go through to get your child treated. First they say that they need to be a danger to themselves or others or gravely disabled to be involuntarily committed. So if your child is sitting in your home with aluminum foil on his head to keep people from putting thoughts in his head, that isn’t good enough. Or walking around with plastic bags on his feet because he thinks electricity is coming through the floor, nope, not good enough either. Neither scenario meets Connecticut’s involuntary commitment laws. These cases are ones I have heard in talking to other parents of the severely mentally ill. I say severely because this segment is small, the most difficult to treat and, largely ignored because of Connecticut’s “recovery model.”
The sad truth in my case is that my son got the treatment he needed only because he was homeless and had attempted suicide. Warning his doctor that he was not doing well prior to his suicide attempt didn’t matter. Saying our system is flawed is an understatement. Limiting access to certain guns and ammunition is an easy, politically expedient, false, feel good solution. The travesty of our mental illness system is harder to face and fix. I feel alone in my quest, mostly because those who would join me are too worn out from dealing with their mental illness nightmare.
I decided to go to the gun control rally and hand out some information on mental illness. I thought the group would be interested and they were. But as I trudged up the hill to the capitol and saw green ski caps being handed out, I thought, wow, what a crowd, and somebody had the resources to buy those green ski caps! And then there was me, no backing, no resources. As admirable as it is that the rally was organized, they are missing the real problem, treatment of mental illness. I felt very alone with my information I brought to hand out regarding assisted outpatient treatment (AOT).
AOT is a tool to get those with mental illness, who are non-compliant, treatment sooner rather than later. Before they resort to aluminum foil on their heads, before they get to the point of self-harm. AOT will not solve all the problems. HIPPA needs to be looked at. Once my son turned 18, I couldn’t even make an appointment for him. It is another confusing law that is interpreted differently dependent on the provider. Involuntary commitment standards need to be reviewed. Let’s develop a “sooner rather than later” model for our severely mentally ill.
From a person who has traveled the mental illness journey, I can say with no doubt our mental illness system needs an overhaul for the treatment of the severely mentally ill. If the passion, time and effort were put into that instead of the guns, I believe with 100 percent certainty the return on investment would be greater than it will be with any passage of new gun laws.
Susan Gallagher
Wallingford