Schizophrenia is a man-made diagnosis, and doctors make mistakes. The old man you see on the street whose tongue twitches didn't get that way because he was given compassion. He probably was restrained, drugged and dehumanized by a system that was supposed to help him. The majority of our clients have had multiple hospitalizations, and most of them have failed after numerous attempts to stay well. Our team's goal is to keep these individuals in the least restrictive environment required to maintain their independence.
Case managers deliver and monitor medications to assure compliance.
We also provide assistance for housing and employment, as well as classes on socialization, anger, stress management and symptoms management. We have a 24-hour crisis hot line people can call when things become too stressful. Tell your readers there are resources within each community to assist mentally ill individuals and their families. Actually, such forced drugging is already happening nationwide out in the community using court orders. This authoritarianism just doesn't work.