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A Review of the "Mental Illness" Definition Might Prevent Crime
An anonymous reader writes "Following a BBC report showing abnormal variation in the number of people taken into police custody with mental health problems, concerns have been raised about the legal definition of "mental illness". Prof. Steve Fuller argues that a much sharper legal distinction is required to ensure criminals with mental disorders are not released without appropriate treatment. Fuller distinguishes between two cases: a 'client', who pays a therapist and enjoys a liberal, level-playing field in face-to-face interactions, and a 'patient' who is being treated by a doctor for a particular disorder. If the former relationship cannot be established due to person's mental state, then the latter one should be enforced. Thus, Fuller calls for 'a return to institutions analogous to the asylums of the early 19th century.'"
Need more mental health centers not prisons with 23/7 lock down
...who decides. We've all exhibited behavior at one time or another that could be interpreted as antisocial, and with our paycheck-to-paycheck lifestyle and less institutional family connections, it's very possible that someone involuntarily committed may find literally all of their worldly possessions gone when they come out. Such involuntary confinement could be used when someone in authority finds something otherwise noncriminal to be abhorrent. There are numerous examples of countercultures throughout our fairly recent history that were investigated by the authorities, and it was bad enough without those people having to particularly worry about involuntary confinement attributed to supposed mental illness.
Who decides, what they can compel, and how that person's life is managed while they're institutionalized are all very, very important factors in if it's even possible to use involuntary medical-based confinement or not.
And that doesn't even begin to address costs. While I don't care for it, it's possible for prisons to get some return on their costs by using prison labor to do things that don't really pay the prisoners but do pay the prison. If someone's committed for what's supposed to be a mental illness problem, it's doubtful that using that person for profit for the institution would really be possible.
Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
Until it is you being put away, Mr. Coward.
I, unfortunately, have had far too much exposure to the mental health system, due to mental illness in my immediate family. I'll give you my perspective on your questions, based primarily on my anecdotal experience, plus some research-based discussions with practitioners.
I think the answer is a qualified yes, people can be made better, though "cured" may be too strong.
Mental health treatment is, I think, much where medicine was shortly after the discovery of the germ theory of disease. It's beginning to become a capable, scientific endeavor, and it is very useful within the areas that it works, but there's lots we don't understand, about what goes wrong, about why it goes wrong, about what will and won't work to fix it, and even about why the stuff that does work, works.
My daughter's condition is a good example. She has Borderline Personality Disorder (which is a really terrible, inaccurate name, and everyone knows it, but that's the label that got stuck on it). There is no cure but time; most BPD sufferers eventually achieve fairly normal functioning by their mid 30s. There are some treatments that help, though. Sometimes. The best one is a particular form of psychotherapy called Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, which is at root mindfulness training. It's effectiveness is definitely better than nothing, but whether or not it will help a person become a functional member of society is very hit or miss. My daughter's doing okay, but has real challenges.
My sister's son, on the other hand, has Bipolar Disorder. There are great meds that almost completely fix the problem for a large percentage of sufferers, including him. In addition, it appears that specific dietary restrictions can do just as much as the meds. I understand that schizophrenia is eminently treatable with medication, though the severe side effects often discourage its use.
I have ADD, and so do all three of my sons. There are very effective medications for it, but there are also learned habits that can be used to work around it. My older sons and I use the latter plus a little self-medication with caffeine. My youngest takes Concerta.
Depending on the disorder, sometime diagnoses are clear and incontrovertible, and proof of "cure" (or management) is equally incontrovertible. Sometimes it's really fuzzy. Sometimes treatment is effective and well-understood. Sometimes it isn't.
The answer, I think, is to be very clear about what we can and cannot do, and to do what we can. And, of course, to continue research into improving our ability to understand and treat.
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