Mental Health System Failures

Your thoughtful article on “suicide by cop” (Aug. 24) provides additional evidence of the failure of our mental health system to reach out and provide protection and treatment for those with severe and persistent mental illness until it is too late. Although citizens with mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and major depression give many ongoing clues to the severity of their illness, our current laws make it almost impossible to hospitalize them without their consent until they are a danger to themselves or others--and that can be a fatal delay.

In a survey we did of all California law enforcement agencies, we learned that law enforcement officers are more likely to be called to a mental health crisis than to a robbery. Yet their training in mental illness is woefully inadequate. The understanding of “suicide by cop” provided in the Sheriff’s Department research will hopefully lead to improved training and protocols. In addition, a much needed improvement in our laws for involuntary treatment and a greater use of intensive case management and assertive community treatment for people with these brain disorders will reduce the frequency of these tragic events.

JUNE R. HUSTED PhD

Psychologist

Torrance

*

On the one hand, we have Theodore Kaczynski, Rusty Weston, a series of children gunning down their schoolmates and teachers, and recently Kathryn Schoonover.

On the other hand, we have insurance companies and HMOs that essentially refuse to pay for mental health treatment, with government “reimbursement” set at 1974 rates and a set of outdated and unworkable involuntary commitment laws. Is anyone really surprised at the results?

We need to force insurers and HMOs to treat mental illness as they would any other illness, to set government reimbursement for mental health care providers at realistic rates and to rethink and revise our involuntary commitment laws. Most important, we need to fund and implement early childhood screening programs to identify and treat disturbed children before they grow up to become disturbed adults. We have the technology and the ability to do these things; all that is required is the courage to implement them.

MICHAEL COHN PhD

Clinical Psychologist

Los Angeles