(Dec. 12, 2014) From her perch at the end of Wisconsin Avenue, Janice looks out over the river toward Virginia. Her things are neatly stacked against a massive iron beam that supports the freeway above.
“I’m alright,” Janice responds, avoiding eye contact when asked if there is anything we can do for her. She tries not to respond at all, but if we don’t leave she often responds with a nonsensical answer: “I’m waiting for the movie stars.”
Janice has a brain disorder. She cannot make sense of the world around her. She has formed an emotional attachment to that spot on Wisconsin Avenue and will not leave unless forced to. And, if forced to move, she will just find another spot that, for whatever reason, gives her comfort. She is stuck there, confined in a prison of delusions and paranoid ideas.
Representatives from the Department of Behavioral Health have visited her several times, but they say there is nothing they can do until she puts her own or somebody’s else’s life in immediate danger. Even then, chances of getting someone help and treatment is a lofty goal.
The other week I learned that Jeff, a homeless man who came to Georgetown Ministry Center for services had died. His death was caused by his mental disorder, which interfered with his comprehension of his out-of-control hypertension.
As I was thinking about how difficult it is to get someone the help he or she needs, the Washington Post published an article about Senator Creigh Deeds a year after his mentally ill son attacked him and left him bleeding from multiple stab wounds to crawl across a field to a road where he was found and rushed to a hospital. Senator Deeds survived with physical and emotional scars that would never heal. His son died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Just 24 hours before the attack, Senator Deeds was with his son at a mental health clinic seeking hospitalization. There were no beds, but there was a bad law that forced them to leave after six hours without intervention.
So what can you do about this problem? Start by learning more about the issue. Don’t stop there though. Contact your council member and tell him or her that you care and support sensible laws that allow the community to offer treatment to people when they really need it.
Gunther Stern
Georgetown Ministry Center
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