Lack of Help for Mentally Ill

The Southern California Psychiatric Society has become aware of the tragic circumstances that have involved the Jacobs family.

Los Angeles County has undergone a shocking decrease in funding for public psychiatric care. The number of public beds in psychiatric hospitals is abysmal. Our governor has vetoed the appropriation of funds for treatment of the mentally ill. The results of this ill-conceived cost-cutting can be seen daily as more mentally ill people take to the streets, the shelters for the homeless and, alas, the jails.

Society’s effort to balance the rights of the mentally ill and the rights of the rest of its members has operated under a set of laws called the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act. However well-intentioned, the act fails all of us most of the time. The act allows persons who are dangerous to themselves or others to be hospitalized for up to 72 hours. Only with a court order can these people be treated for longer periods and even then, they can refuse medicine. It is this imperfect situation that calls attention to itself when we read of such terrible events. Some of these tragedies could have been prevented.

PETER GRUENBERG, MD, President

Southern California Psychiatric Society