tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26666124.post2108986328828326476..comments2024-03-18T03:28:36.581-04:00Comments on Shrink Rap: Let's Talk About Jails and Mental HealthUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26666124.post-66575868834729035562017-12-25T18:36:13.091-05:002017-12-25T18:36:13.091-05:00I don't agree with everything on this blog but...I don't agree with everything on this blog but do think it is an important public service and the authors should be commended for all the time and effort they put into it.<br /><br />The lay public and even most psychiatrists have very little idea of what goes on in the lives of the criminally mentally ill. Even in the best cases treatment often amounts to no more than doping up with tranquilizing antipsychotics and warehousing until a sufficient amount of time has passed. Then the person is returned directly to the situation that got them into prison to begin with.<br /><br />I found myself on the patient end of forensic psychiatry recently with a commitment into a forensic psychiatry ward for a month. It was a major shock to my existence and one I will never forget. This is a plea that we all consider the humanity of the individuals involved. Often it is a combination of personal stressors, mental illness and addiction that leads to prosecutable behaviors. There is often good reason to believe that the offense would never have happened were it not for a mental illness or drug addiction issue. Does that mean that prosecution is not the solution?<br /><br />This is a question that society has not addressed.<br /><br />The 'insanity defense' is rarely successful but what is also true is that mental illness is a factor when it comes to sentencing even if there is no mental health diversion and the matter is treated solely as a criminal matter.NoneToBehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02639628889977452348noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26666124.post-55371171139397308612017-11-09T08:32:51.568-05:002017-11-09T08:32:51.568-05:00Hi Shrink Rap Team,
My name is Anuj Agarwal. I&#...Hi Shrink Rap Team,<br /> <br />My name is Anuj Agarwal. I'm Founder of Feedspot.<br /><br />I would like to personally congratulate you as your blog Shrink Rap has been selected by our panelist as one of the Top 50 Psychiatry Blogs on the web.<br /><br />https://blog.feedspot.com/psychiatry_blogs/<br /><br />I personally give you a high-five and want to thank you for your contribution to this world. This is the most comprehensive list of Top 50 Psychiatry Blogs on the internet and I’m honored to have you as part of this!<br /><br />Also, you have the honor of displaying the badge on your blog.<br /><br />Best,<br />AnujAnuj Agarwalhttps://blog.feedspot.com/psychiatry_blogs/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26666124.post-6899894998025182982017-10-14T11:22:21.957-04:002017-10-14T11:22:21.957-04:00Respectfully, having worked at two State Hospitals...Respectfully, having worked at two State Hospitals in the past year, and watched them be relentless filled with people who are moreso criminals primarily than mental health people cruelly over prosecuted, I don't get this rationalizing how people are being denied essential and acute services when those demanding the admissions have no clue how to triage these inmates!<br /><br />Oh, and that is the key point to this comment, I didn't read your mention of the recent judicial ruling making all our State Facilities have to take on more inmates and then wade through the morass of figuring out who is genuinely mentally ill, versus who is faking it and just terrorizing patients at whim!<br /><br />http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-health-secretary-contempt-20170928-story.html<br /><br />Hope readers look at the link, and then figure out what is really at hand here, is it solely about too many people being incarcerated versus denied genuine care needs, or, a judicial system that once again wants to simplify treatment needs to make it easier for the judges and wardens?!<br /><br />Again, always fascinating and repugnant how many health care providers stay silent and thus complicit to not challenge poor administrative judgments. Why mental health is a terminally ill profession, based on my humble yet vast experience of near 25 years now.<br /><br />But, we can naively continue to hope for the best, in a system that really punishes hope and independence because those are not acceptable outcomes for people who crave power and control. Hey, just my perspective, I could be wrong. Just ask those politicians/judges who allegedly represent you how much they are appropriately educated and advised on mental health issues these last, what, 15 or so years?!<br /><br />Or better yet, maybe talk to real mental health patients stuck in State Hospitals and left to fend for themselves in defacto jails/prisons without appropriate security and consequences for real life crimes going on inside those walls!!!<br /><br />Yeah, let's read that next column!!!<br /><br />Joel Hassman, MDAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com