Healthcare for the mentally ill is a taboo here in Louisiana. There is not enough conversation and coverage on this topic. Just like any other patient, mentally ill patients have rights too which is why I do not believe that they should be mandated to seek treatment. Mentally ill citizens are negatively impacted by the state’s choice not to expand Medicaid under the ACA. When an incident occurs, the mentally ill may not be placed appropriately for proper treatment and monitoring of their condition. I would not say that there is not easy access to mental health services but there is a lack of knowledge of the available services that causes a decline in mentally ill citizens being adequately cared for.
When there is dialog of mandated care for …show more content…
If an incident takes place and if the police are contacted, the mentally ill citizen is placed in jail instead of in a mental institution to be monitored and treated. As of 2011, Louisiana has revised the statutes as far the admission by emergency certificate. It states, ‘A mentally ill person may be admitted and detained at a treatment facility of observation, diagnosis and treatment...’ (Justia 2011). Although this statue is in place, there is still a significant amount of mentally ill citizens being placed in jail. In jail, the citizens may not have prescribed medications administered the police or employees may not have any knowledge of the citizen’s condition. According to Hiday, it is currently estimated that, among our countries prison inmates, there is a 10-25% prevalence of mental illness (Hiday 2003). ‘It has been shown that people with mental illness are arrested more often than people without mental illness that encounter law enforcement under similar circumstances (Testa 2010). There should be a better process when citizens are taken into custody to assess for any possible mental illness .As stated on the “Defining Dangerous” forum, I do believe there should be a database available for law enforcement. Being that it is the responsibility of law enforcement to keep the community safe, they are doing more harm than good when they pit someone with a mental illness in jail. Which is why there should a …show more content…
There are facilities and support groups that are available for citizens suffering from mental illnesses. Not only does lack of knowledge of the resources play a role but as stated before, the cost of the care from the services available will most likely not be affordable to the citizens that need
When there is dialog of mandated care for …show more content…
If an incident takes place and if the police are contacted, the mentally ill citizen is placed in jail instead of in a mental institution to be monitored and treated. As of 2011, Louisiana has revised the statutes as far the admission by emergency certificate. It states, ‘A mentally ill person may be admitted and detained at a treatment facility of observation, diagnosis and treatment...’ (Justia 2011). Although this statue is in place, there is still a significant amount of mentally ill citizens being placed in jail. In jail, the citizens may not have prescribed medications administered the police or employees may not have any knowledge of the citizen’s condition. According to Hiday, it is currently estimated that, among our countries prison inmates, there is a 10-25% prevalence of mental illness (Hiday 2003). ‘It has been shown that people with mental illness are arrested more often than people without mental illness that encounter law enforcement under similar circumstances (Testa 2010). There should be a better process when citizens are taken into custody to assess for any possible mental illness .As stated on the “Defining Dangerous” forum, I do believe there should be a database available for law enforcement. Being that it is the responsibility of law enforcement to keep the community safe, they are doing more harm than good when they pit someone with a mental illness in jail. Which is why there should a …show more content…
There are facilities and support groups that are available for citizens suffering from mental illnesses. Not only does lack of knowledge of the resources play a role but as stated before, the cost of the care from the services available will most likely not be affordable to the citizens that need