(Apr. 27, 2015) Homeless and suffering with severe mental illness, Jason West, 42, was arrested for threatening to kill firefighters as they struggled to extinguish a large brush fire in Massachusetts last week (“Dianne Williamson: Siblings say man who allegedly threatened Oxford firefighters needs help,” Worcester Telegram, Apr. 23).
West’s siblings said they were not surprised when they heard news of the incident involving their brother, who has battled bipolar disorder and schizophrenia for over a decade.
"It's happened before," said Jason’s brother, Dennis. "Unless he gets the proper help, it's going to keep on happening. He has a disease. He needs help and he's too sick to get it. But all we hear is, he's an adult and he has rights."
West went off of his psychiatric medications in 2012 because he disliked their side effects. In 2013, he was charged with attempted murder for trying to strangle a relative and served three months in jail.
Stephanie Daher, West’s sister, said West has checked himself into the hospital numerous times in the past during psychiatric crisis. But he never stayed long enough to get the treatment he needs and hospital staff cannot force him to stay, she said.
"They just tell us that their hands are tied and he has rights," Daher said. "We tell them that eventually he's going to hurt someone. But they say that unless he's [an] immediate harm to himself or others, there's nothing they can do…It's insane to me that this is the system we have.”
“He needs to be forced to take his meds, but no one can do that,” she continued. “In this case, someone having too many rights is a bad thing."
The outcome of West’s case could have been different if he lived in New York, a state that may have been able to provide him with medication under Kendra’s Law until he was well enough to maintain his treatment voluntarily.
But West lives in Massachusetts, one of only five states that does not currently have assisted outpatient treatment (AOT) laws in place. AOT, or outpatient commitment, authorizes court-ordered treatment (including medication) for individuals who have a history of medication noncompliance, as a condition of their remaining in the community.
Unfortunately, West serves as yet another example of when rights go wrong.
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West’s siblings said they were not surprised when they heard news of the incident involving their brother, who has battled bipolar disorder and schizophrenia for over a decade."It's happened before," said Jason’s brother, Dennis. "Unless he gets the proper help, it's going to keep on happening. He has a disease. He needs help and he's too sick to get it. But all we hear is, he's an adult and he has rights."
West went off of his psychiatric medications in 2012 because he disliked their side effects. In 2013, he was charged with attempted murder for trying to strangle a relative and served three months in jail.
Stephanie Daher, West’s sister, said West has checked himself into the hospital numerous times in the past during psychiatric crisis. But he never stayed long enough to get the treatment he needs and hospital staff cannot force him to stay, she said.
"They just tell us that their hands are tied and he has rights," Daher said. "We tell them that eventually he's going to hurt someone. But they say that unless he's [an] immediate harm to himself or others, there's nothing they can do…It's insane to me that this is the system we have.”
“He needs to be forced to take his meds, but no one can do that,” she continued. “In this case, someone having too many rights is a bad thing."
The outcome of West’s case could have been different if he lived in New York, a state that may have been able to provide him with medication under Kendra’s Law until he was well enough to maintain his treatment voluntarily.
But West lives in Massachusetts, one of only five states that does not currently have assisted outpatient treatment (AOT) laws in place. AOT, or outpatient commitment, authorizes court-ordered treatment (including medication) for individuals who have a history of medication noncompliance, as a condition of their remaining in the community.
Unfortunately, West serves as yet another example of when rights go wrong.
To comment, visit our Facebook page.
Visit our blog archive to read all our recent posts.