(Jan. 26, 2017) Individuals or family members affected by serious mental illness (SMI) typically wait until a psychiatric crisis occurs before they reach out for help.
Many go to the hospital for this help and, on the off chance that a psychiatric bed is available, they’re admitted and held just long enough to stabilize. But short-term hospital stays will inevitably lead to another psychiatric crisis and another hospital stay, and a vicious cycle develops.
Follow up care is crucial, and one Indian River program in Florida is paving the way, connecting people with SMI with the ongoing treatment necessary to recover and lead productive lives (“Mental Health Collaborative weaves safety net made to last,” TCPalm, Jan 25).
Since 2005, the Mental Health Collaborative of Indian River County has been working with schools, law enforcement, hospitals, emergency medical services, and the court system to identify resources in the community and develop ways to work together to improve mental health services.
“That’s really the vision of MHC,” says Mental Health Collaborative’s Executive Director Brett Hall.
The Collaborative was integral to the development of Indian River County’s Mental Health Court, connecting Judge Cynthia Cox of the Circuit 19th Court and Indian River County Sheriff Deryl Loar with funding for the program, which opened in early 2015.
Mental Health Court vs. Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT)
Mental Health Court gives people who commit petty, nonviolent crimes due to untreated mental illness a second chance.
A judge hears the cases of offenders who find themselves in criminal court because they don’t have access to the tools, programs and benefits they need to successfully manage their mental illness. A treatment plan is ordered and, if the individual complies, the criminal charges are usually suspended.
Mental Health Court is often confused with assisted outpatient treatment (AOT), but there are important distinctions between the two programs.
AOT is a form of civil commitment imposed by a civil procedure, and it does not require the commission of a crime as the price of admission. In contrast, a mental health court is a criminal court, offering community-based treatment as a means to divert defendants with mental illness away from the correctional system. Due to their similarities, some mistakenly believe that if they have a mental health court in their community, they don’t need AOT; this is very wrong.
As important as mental health courts are for those who already face criminal prosecution, criminal conduct should never be a prerequisite for individuals with mental illness who lack insight to receive treatment.
And, of course, many individuals who stand to benefit from AOT won’t end up in mental health court because they tend to victimize only themselves and do not commit crimes.
In short, both programs are essential components of a functioning mental health system.
“Look at this way,” Sheriff Loar said. “You have Jane Doe who is a successful citizen, has money in her wallet, a job, however she has this manic need to shoplift jewelry. She could easily afford it and lands in jail. That doesn’t make her a threat to society or a violent criminal. She simply needs programs and treatment to control those impulses. This is what the [the Mental Health Collaborative] will provide.”
Read our report on mental health diversion practices to learn more about mental health courts, AOT, and other effective programs.
(Photo: Fran Foster/TC Paalm)
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