Mental illness is not a criminal offense

Jail not way to tackle mental illness ~ an echo published in The Daily Progress, the Charlotsville Virginia newspaper.

Less than 10 percent of crimes can be directly attributed to mental illness, and those suffering from mental illness are 10 times more likely than the general population to, themselves, be victims of crime.

Symptoms of mental illness begin to be noticed before adulthood, when interventions might prevent episodes whereby those who suffer with the might be treated.

Nonetheless, more than a quarter of inmates incarcerated in Virginia’s 59 prisons and local and regional jails last year were mentally ill, according to a report released in November 2017 by the state Compensation Board.

Out of an average daily inmate population of 26,350, “there were a total of 7,451 inmates known or suspected to be mentally ill in jails during the month of June, 2017,” according to a survey the board conducted.

More mentally ill people wind up in jail than in therapeutic settings, according to the Arlington-based Treatment Advocacy Center, which notes that “like every state in the nation, Virginia incarcerates more individuals with severe mental illness than it hospitalizes.”

Although Virginia has made some progress in changing the way it deals with the mentally ill in recent years, there’s obviously a lot more that can be done to not only lessen the social stigma of mental illness, but also to help those afflicted and their families, who often do not have the resources or skills to deal with a loved one’s mental illness.

Virginians also need to do a better job of dealing with mental health issues before they spiral out of control. 

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, “half of all mental health disorders show first signs before a person turns 14 years old, and three-quarters of mental health disorders begin before age 24. Unfortunately, less than 20 percent of children and adolescents with diagnosable mental health problems receive the treatment they need.”

The Mayo Clinic lists a number of warning signs, including mood and behavioral changes, intense anxiety, difficulty concentrating, unexplained weight loss, stomach aches and headaches, substance abuse and self-harm. But “even if you know the red flags, it can be difficult to distinguish signs of a problem from normal childhood behavior,” the website says.

In addition, a certain reluctance by parents, physicians and educators to label a child as mentally ill even when there are obvious symptoms can hinder early intervention. But “the sooner they get help, the better the outcome,” says Bruce Cruser, executive director for Mental Health America of Virginia.

Virginia ranks 42nd among the states for access to mental health services, even though studies show that early intervention and permanent supportive housing that provides a continuum of services are effective in stabilizing people with mental illness and allowing them to live productive lives.

And since providing these services is less expensive for taxpayers in the long run than paying for hospital and prison beds, the commonwealth’s goal should be to reduce the incarceration rate and expand the support system for the mentally ill, as much as humanly possible.

Excerpted from The Free Lance-Star, Fredericksburg.