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Blue Springs, MO —
Mental illness, like most illnesses, can strike anyone.
There is no immunity based on socioeconomic status, lifestyle, culpability or anything else.
Its effects can include delusional, irrational and violent thought patterns and behaviors.
Mental illness can be treated successfully with medication and other therapies.
In many instances, however, mental illness comes with a lack awareness of its presence and effect, and therefore, many in need of treatment are in no position to voluntarily reach out for help when they truly need it.
Often the mentally ill are people of few means. Their illness can make lucrative employment and successful management and preservation of assets difficult. Many are homeless, uninsured, indigent and can also be easy victims of exploitation.
Some do get help, often in the form of medication that can successfully treat and control mental illness, but they may at times go off their medication and relapse into the negative behaviors and thought patterns that can be so destructive.
Mental illness represents one of the most difficult challenges for society and the law.
Like most states, Missouri has a set of laws designed to deal with the mentally ill in a manner that that is intended to be effective, compassionate and not punitive.
Laws are in place so that when someone is believed, as a result of mental illness, to be a danger to themselves or others, then they can be involuntarily detained, institutionalized, evaluated and treated, so as to hopefully restore them to a level of functional conduct that is not dangerous or detrimental to themselves or others.
Under Missouri law, mental health caseworkers can investigate and assist with the initiation of a petition for involuntary commitment in the Probate Court. If the facts sufficiently establish that, then the Probate Court can order them involuntarily committed to a secure mental health treatment facility for up to four days for evaluation and treatment.
Often this provides a sufficient opportunity to administer medication that can successfully restore the mentally ill to a safe and secure level of function. If not, then the time of involuntary commitment can be extended, after a hearing, to an additional three weeks, and beyond if the evidence warrants it.
Again, the system is designed to identify and treat the mentally ill, not punish them.
However, in this day and age of cuts in social services, and a corresponding reduction in services available to the unempowered in society, the resources necessary to properly implement this system are sorely lacking.
Mental illness, like most illnesses, can strike anyone.
There is no immunity based on socioeconomic status, lifestyle, culpability or anything else.
Its effects can include delusional, irrational and violent thought patterns and behaviors.
Mental illness can be treated successfully with medication and other therapies.
In many instances, however, mental illness comes with a lack awareness of its presence and effect, and therefore, many in need of treatment are in no position to voluntarily reach out for help when they truly need it.
Often the mentally ill are people of few means. Their illness can make lucrative employment and successful management and preservation of assets difficult. Many are homeless, uninsured, indigent and can also be easy victims of exploitation.
Some do get help, often in the form of medication that can successfully treat and control mental illness, but they may at times go off their medication and relapse into the negative behaviors and thought patterns that can be so destructive.
Mental illness represents one of the most difficult challenges for society and the law.
Like most states, Missouri has a set of laws designed to deal with the mentally ill in a manner that that is intended to be effective, compassionate and not punitive.
Laws are in place so that when someone is believed, as a result of mental illness, to be a danger to themselves or others, then they can be involuntarily detained, institutionalized, evaluated and treated, so as to hopefully restore them to a level of functional conduct that is not dangerous or detrimental to themselves or others.
Under Missouri law, mental health caseworkers can investigate and assist with the initiation of a petition for involuntary commitment in the Probate Court. If the facts sufficiently establish that, then the Probate Court can order them involuntarily committed to a secure mental health treatment facility for up to four days for evaluation and treatment.
Often this provides a sufficient opportunity to administer medication that can successfully restore the mentally ill to a safe and secure level of function. If not, then the time of involuntary commitment can be extended, after a hearing, to an additional three weeks, and beyond if the evidence warrants it.
Again, the system is designed to identify and treat the mentally ill, not punish them.
However, in this day and age of cuts in social services, and a corresponding reduction in services available to the unempowered in society, the resources necessary to properly implement this system are sorely lacking.
Funding for caseworkers has been stripped bare.
Funding for mental health services for the indigent is also stripped.
The simple fact is, our current level of funding makes woefully insufficient the resources to identify, deal with, help and treat the mentally ill population in our society like never before.
Consequently, we have more and more mentally ill people walking the streets who are delusional, untreated, and often prone to violence.
And more and more, the problems which are no longer being dealt with by the mental health system are falling into the lap of law enforcement and the criminal justice system.
Fortunately, the criminal justice system is reacting to this situation in a positive and appropriate manner.
Municipal courts in Lee’s Summit, Blue Springs and Jackson County now have mental health court programs in place. Instead of subjecting defendants whose unseemly conduct is attributable to an untreated mental health situation to a fine or jail, and then untreated back to the streets, those eligible for the mental health court programs are given a chance to establish a period of successful compliance with mental health treatment recommendations in lieu of criminal prosecution.
And while much pain and difficulty could be avoided if proper funding was restored to the mental health system that was designed to deal with these situations before they became criminal cases, I applaud our municipal courts that have seen fit to respond as they have.
