They particularly fear anything that might lead to forced use of mood-altering drugs. Others say that forced drugging reflects a conspiracy of the pharmaceutical industry, organized psychiatry and institutionalized mental health to gain clients, profits and power. Forcing people into court because they might become committable in the future, and threatening to lock them up for failure to appear for evaluation by judges, disturbs civil libertarians. They object to invasions of privacy, intrusions on liberty and singling out this class of people for detention. They worry, too, that many judges with low literacy about mental illness will be making these decisions.
Passions run high.
There is no chance for task-force agreement except for the need for more resources, Gardner reports. That's a strong signal that the proposals should not go to this Legislature. The problems and remedies need public airing. Oregon's conversation should include more evaluations from states that force treatment. Cost analyses need to explore how alternative approaches would affect the Oregon Health Plan, jails, prisons and other public and private agencies, as well as consumers' ability to live independently, hold jobs and become taxpayers.