Wow, first New York’s failed law, now I read good ol’ Gov’na Martin O’Malley will follow lock step with Cuomo in formulating legislation for us folks here in Maryland “to improve mental health care needs” or something similarly lame. What is the Democrat response, pres tell? Give the illusion that making mental health care providers the proverbial Gestapo for the state and this will have some dramatic positive impact on shooting incidents. Oh, but, pay no attention to details, you don’t want to know the actual points to the legislation before it is passed, per the Nancy Pelosi litmus test for PPACA prior, just that anything state or federal representatives draft and vote as law is only for the public benefit.
Here is what the Wall Street Journal had to say after the law was passed:
I agree with John Grohol’s take on it, per the link below from the site World of Psychology’s blog:
This isn’t about enhancing nor responsibly supporting the current requirements of mental health care providers trying to get mentally ill people services for suicidal or homicidal content. No, it is about making providers defacto deputies for law enforcement, and in the end making people who MIGHT have issues with using weapons be at risk for plain arrest, or using mental health inpatient facilities as jails at the very least.
Oh, and may I let you all in on a little secret about Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) patients on psych units: they are the living embodiment of the wolves among sheep, and it is nothing less than pathetic and neglectful to see ASPD patients stay on a psych unit once their predatory tendencies are identified!
I said at a prior post, watch out what politicians will do with this incident. And, I say it again, I don’t see any real interest by government in helping people with mental illness when politicians get involved. Their history with the mental illness population is simple, until proven otherwise for the better: marginalize, minimize, ostracize, and I have no hesitation to believe there are some in government who simple want mental health populations eradicated. I have no specific examples to the latter, but, pay attention to the deeds and words of what politicians will want to do with legislation per managing the mental health population.
And, to my provider colleagues, watch out what politicians think we can do with ASPD people who are forced on us to “treat”. Sorry, I do not embrace the idea that ASPD is amenable to mental health care. Not if such people, and note I do not use the word patient with ASPD, have no interest in change or gaining insight to disruptive, dysfunctional behaviors and attitudes.
Some people who commit crimes with guns, even murder, may be psychiatric impaired. But, my money is that the percentage of crimes committed with guns is overwhelmingly a majority of antisocial laden choice. I feel let the Forensic specialty continue to be the front line in defining who is not criminally responsible, and who needs to stay in correctional facilities.
If you haven’t picked up my position yet, I am not interested in being a correctional officer or warden.
And, I am not interested in putting metal detector devices in my office either!
Mental Health “Reform” is a bipartisian effort as evidenced by this proposed tougher mental health commitment law in New Jersey. Not sure it requires you all to be policemen but I still wanted to mention it.
http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/01/christie_says_hes_committed_to.html
Anyway, when someone on a political board starts a post wishing he/she had never set forth in the mental health system, that pretty much sums up the situation.
Nice job politicians in driving people away from treatment without solving the problems of mass shootings. I guess you will vote yourself a pay raise for your efforts.