Yeah!

You're back and despite the mind-numbing work that I ( as a mother, of course) recognize motherhood can be, as sharp as ever!

Congrats!

people. We all have our escapes from the inevitable crap that messes with our lives.

It's ridiculous to argue over such trivia as if we are on a playground ("My escapism is more redeeming, socially acceptable, less carbon footprint than yours is....so there)

Let's just all admit that the time spent reading the maligned article, the letters in response, and then composing a pithy retort is actually an escape or momentary check-out of whatever dreary reality du jour you are personally inhabiting with the added benefit of feeling superior while dutifully "educating" readers with contrary opinions.

All of these activities are equal in their purpose: to distract.

So what's the big diff?

And, as long as the distraction is not cruel, dishonest, evil: Who Cares?

I mean we are actually just participating in the revival of a quasi "They Shoot Horses Don't They?" popular during the last big "downturn" (AKA depression) and I don't think American Idol is even close to that degradation of the human spirit (yet).

OK, the "auditions" are creeping toward that level.

So, lighten up and quit acting so superior.

( as I am...)

I agree with the readers who have made the point that it is quite possible that this individual may have a coexisting medical condition such as schizoaffective disorder, OC spectrum type symptoms, a mood disorder etc. None of these can be treated effectively with just "talk" therapy.

These are biologically rooted conditions that will respond to medication.

I have worked, over the years, with many children who as they get older (puberty) present with some of the symptoms of these disorders which--especially in the matter of impulse control and "tantrum" behaviors--are considered to be a result of immaturity and lack of communication and social skills ( a hallmark of ASD). Correct diagnosis of these complex brain disorders is extremely difficult at times, and the correct medications and dosages is based on trial and error and therefore requires TIME.

And, this is the crux of that problem, because time is what is absolutely not available under the current system. Just as a doctor needs time to judge how well chemotherapy has worked for a medical condition such as cancer and therefore has to juggle the types and dosages of several different medications to find the most beneficial treatment, so does a doctor treating the medical conditions known as mental illness or other brain disorders such as ASD.

But, instead, these individuals are given 72 hours to prove that they are "no longer a danger to themselves and others" and then are released--many to live back on the streets again--even when they themselves beg to be given more time in the hospital.

As, I wrote before:

Why is it OK to let extremely MEDICALLY ill individuals with a BRAIN disorder decide with THEIR disordered brains what their treatment plan will be?

And, why is OK to let extremely MEDICALLY ill people wander around on the streets. Would we watch with no concern or emotion if a person with cancer was wheeling down the street with an IV? Would we say, " Oh, just go out and panhandle out there to survive. Or get a job."

The truth is that these brain disorders carry a stigma with them which significantly hinders the treatment. And our ability to emphasize and feel compassionate toward their condition.

So, to end, (again):

" Why is a person with another BRAIN disorder who walks away from their skilled nursing facility or group home (place of treatment) considered to be "lost" and searched for with TV coverage and helicopters because they are recognized as vulnerable and sick while an individual who also has been diagnosed with a BRAIN disorder (which happens to be labeled as "mental illness") who leaves their group home ( place of treatment where hopefully they were getting medication and therapy) is dismissed as "homeless by choice". I mean what is OK about that? This is not a rhetorical question anymore when families have the burden of caring for very sick individuals in their homes or be willing to let them live on the streets with the dangers inherent in that choice.

And I know a lot of the homeless population have substance abuse problems which on the surface appear they are apparently choosing not to treat ( and if you believe that substance abuse is also a disease, then consider that it is not a choice at all but the lack of treatment available for that condition also) but I can also guarantee you that a good percentage of this population have undiagnosed mental problems with symptoms the individual is trying to treat with the substance(s) of choice--also known as "self-medicating". (And this, by the way, is a huge problem for young adults who have not yet been correctly diagnosed as having a mental illness but are instead identified as: delinquent, non-compliant, troublemakers and put in jail instead.)

In addition to the fact, that the majority of psych meds have significant side effects which, of course, an individual is not going to choose to take if they ( and their disordered brain) feel are unnecessary, and even punitive, as "there is nothing wrong with me anyway".

One of answers: FUNDING for RESEARCH for better medications and treatment plans that work because the doctor and the individual who is sick are given time in a safe environment to even begin the recovery or maintenance process.