When I write of madness, I am not talking about run-of-the-mill lack of common sense. I am a schizophrenic in remission and I want to discuss the mental health care crisis in America and what we can do about it. To give you an idea of the scope of the problem, here is a link to the nimh website on the impact of mental illness on society. Mental illness impact on society from nimh As you read mental illness has a more deleterious cost on society than all the cancers combined. If it is true solving the health care crisis will solve the long term economic crisis in America as President Obama maintains, then solving the mental health crisis will be a big chunk of that task. Around 20% of all hospital beds are used by the mentally ill according to Nami Iowa.As you can surmise, it affects all of us, directly or indirectly.
The first problem I wish to take up is affordability of drugs. The newer anti-psychotics are very expensive and beyond the reach of many people who need them. Let me lay out the life cycle of mental illness in America for many patients. They get out of the hospital where the drugs are usually free. Left to their own devices or with pitiful support from government, they find they cannot afford their medications and stop taking them. They deteriorate to a crisis. They go back into the hospital. I am of the opinion it would be cheaper to provide the anti-psychotics free of charge to the diagnosed who cannot afford them than to perpetuate this hospitalization cycle.
The second problem I want to take up is more controversial than the first. Many mentally ill people will vigorously defend their right not to take the anti-psychotic drugs. My idea is not to force people to take their medications, but to reward them when they do. For example, If Cho of the infamous Virginia Tech massacre had been required to take medication for his mental illness in order to attend school, he would likely be alive today along with his victims. I realize how provocative this sounds to the mentally ill and many will comment it is unacceptable to force people to take drugs. i reiterate that I absolutely do not believe anyone should be forced to take anti-psychotic medications, but in my 64 years, I have come to learn an essential part of surviving mental illness is to cooperate with your doctor and take your medications.
I would like to go a step further with the idea of rewarding the mentally ill for taking their drugs. I believe the government should pay the mentally ill for taking their drugs. It would work like this. The mentally ill could go to a board certified psychiatrist and receive a periodic payment for compliance with their drug program after being tested for compliance. This testing would be made more simple by requiring the drug companies to put chemical tags in their drugs making testing a simple matter. I want to restate no one would be forced to participate in this program and I do know anti-psychotics only work for about 60% of patients. Non-compliance is the dirty little secret of mental illness. In my early early years with the disease, I do not know how my times I lied to a psychiatrist about taking my drugs. I have since learned better.
Go in peace.
Ray Kinserlow Jr.