Post by Logan on Jan 11, 2017 23:40:11 GMT -6
Revision to ‘Kevin’s Law’ means quicker treatment for the mentally ill
On any given day in Michigan, they can be found wandering the streets, or in shelters, jails and prison. There are an estimated 300,000 adults with serious mental illness in Michigan.
Advocates say a measure signed into state law in November should make it easier to secure court-ordered mental-health treatment for those who may be too sick to recognize they need help. It allows families or guardians to seek court-ordered treatment for the mentally ill before they reach a crisis stage where they have to be hospitalized or do something dangerous to themselves or others.
But at the same time, caution critics, the revision alone won’t fix a state mental-health system still riddled by gaps in access and treatment.
“It’s not a cure-all for the problems of a broken mental health system,” said Betsy Johnson, legislative and policy director for the Treatment Advocacy Center, a Virginia-based nonprofit advocacy group for improved treatment of severe mental illness.
Read more: bridgemi.com/2017/01/revision-to-kevins-law-means-quicker-treatment-for-the-mentally-ill/
On any given day in Michigan, they can be found wandering the streets, or in shelters, jails and prison. There are an estimated 300,000 adults with serious mental illness in Michigan.
Advocates say a measure signed into state law in November should make it easier to secure court-ordered mental-health treatment for those who may be too sick to recognize they need help. It allows families or guardians to seek court-ordered treatment for the mentally ill before they reach a crisis stage where they have to be hospitalized or do something dangerous to themselves or others.
But at the same time, caution critics, the revision alone won’t fix a state mental-health system still riddled by gaps in access and treatment.
“It’s not a cure-all for the problems of a broken mental health system,” said Betsy Johnson, legislative and policy director for the Treatment Advocacy Center, a Virginia-based nonprofit advocacy group for improved treatment of severe mental illness.
Read more: bridgemi.com/2017/01/revision-to-kevins-law-means-quicker-treatment-for-the-mentally-ill/