Comments on: My turn: Looking back, moving forward: Avoiding tragedy

By: Johnny Rebb

Johnny Rebb — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 07:32:48 +0000

^^^ Bwahahaha!! That’s classic!

By: Tail Wags The Dog

Tail Wags The Dog — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 01:41:01 +0000

I ran across a You Tube Video that has a striking resemblance to the above article. http://youtu.be/a47TT4hah5c

By: Catherine

Catherine — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 20:29:10 +0000

The thing is, Jim, if a person in your family has a serious psychosis disorder, and falls into the 50% of people who have lost the neurological ability to know they’re ill, plus the very small percentage of ill people who become violent, legally the family is left completely vulnerable. The police won’t intervene until there is actually danger, as in knives, guns drawn, bludgeoning in progress, etc., and that danger can arise cometely unexpectedly. We need laws that allow family to go to a civil court and say, my family member is ill and needs supervised medical care. Right now, this can’t be done against an ill person’s wishes. Everyone should support implementation of Laura’s Law, AB1421, in the county, as this allows for early intervention. When a person is delusional, they are absolutely incapable of being responsible for their actions, and we currently treat mad dogs better than neurologically impaired humans.

By: Levy Walker

Levy Walker — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 19:05:05 +0000

Hey Jim,
Is that you on the catheter TV commercial? I think I’ve probably seen it about 500 times on MSNBC. You must be doing well with the royalties.

By: Jim Riordan

Jim Riordan — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 18:30:02 +0000

Denise, Please let us not forget that our Deputies’ sworn duty is to protect our citizens. While I feel sorry for those folks who have mental disorders I believe you must take into consideration the fact that law enforcement in many cases, perhaps a majority, face hostile encounters especially where weapons are involved, in which immediate action is, perhaps rightfully, considered the only response to avoid a greater escalation of violence or increased chance of injury to innocent persons. Further, your scenario describes situations wherein there is a close enough encounter with a mentally ill person to be able to communicate or observe odd behavior suggesting mental disorders. I may be wrong but in the cited Mies case, I do not recall our Deputies having the chance to get close enough to communicate or observe actions of the shooter such that they could tell the difference between mental illness or pure armed hostility. I understand both sides of that picture and am grateful that our local law enforcement Deputies volunteer to put themselves in harm’s way on our behalf. I also agree with Catherine’s point that families who KNOW they have persons with mental disorders, should make a public record of that, such that Law enforcement on their way to an address or potential crime scene could be alerted, in advance, while enroute.

By: Denise Marie Siino

Denise Marie Siino — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 16:26:03 +0000

Catherine,
Thank you for your comment. I intend to address Laura’s Law and what families can do at a future time, as they are equally important topics.

By: Catherine

Catherine — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 16:08:14 +0000

Denise, Thank you for your informative column. There is so much that is broken, yet fixable, in how people with psychosis spectrum disorders, and their families, are forced to live. I don’t know how you’ll cover it all in three columns, but I hope to see information on anosognosia and Laura’s Law. Police and criminal courts would be needed less if the law allowed a family member to demand that a very ill person (who doesn’t known they’re ill, and may not believe that their parent is their parent) receive supervised treatment in the community. Currently, the LPS additions to the Welfare and Institutions Code actually prevent adequate care. We’ve made a costly mess of how people with neurological disorders receive health care, often with tragic results. Improving the law could also reduce the number of what the press loves to call “rampage” killings.