Assertive community treatment programs offer the best hope for individuals with the most severe mental illnesses. Despite the program's repeated and unequaled success and 25 years of confirming research by the National Institute of Mental Health, only a fraction of those who could benefit from this care have access to the services that would allow them to live successfully in our communities. Pervasive stigma and discrimination toward mental illness continue to be the biggest barrier toward people getting the treatment so vital to recovery. Schizophrenia is a cruel, chronic, and disabling brain disorder that affects more than two million Americans each year. It impairs an individual's ability to think clearly, control emotions, make decisions, or relate to people, including family members.
Appropriate interventions make a life-saving difference.
The real tragedy is that these interventions are often only available when someone has shown to be dangerous. As those of us who have been personally affected by this disorder know only too well, something went terribly wrong in the case of Sergei Babarin.