Talk about mental health. I am going to take a break from my…
By: Jacque Cochran
Tags: Mental Health Services, Mental Health Treatment, Fire

I am going to take a break from my usual conversation about relationships to talk about something I experienced at work.

Part of the reason for this article is because the experience has left me wondering about the state of our country as it relates to people with mental illnesses and how little we seem to care.

I work for a local jurisdiction as a code enforcement officer. My responsibilities are to ensure that property and business owners are following the laws that have been established by that city.

Two weeks ago code enforcement was called to a fire damaged duplex. One unit burned and the other one lost power because the electrical meter for both units was located inside the unit that burned.

I know this is a long intro but I have to set the story up in order to make my point. The tenant in the unit that burned refused to leave after the fire. The tenant is literally sleeping in a partially destroyed structure.

The destruction was caused by a combination of actual fire, smoke damage, aeration damage (the fire department had to open up several spots including the roof in order to help put the fire out) and water damage.

After such destruction, property owners file claims with their insurance company to get funds for repairs. In order to pay the claim an insurance rep has to inspect the property to assess the damage and determine the payout amount.

The tenant would not allow anyone to enter the unit. The tenant went so far as to wave a bat around in a threatening manner.

Property management contacted the sheriff’s department who of course responded. The sheriff’s went a step further. Since it was mentioned that this person might have some mental illness they also brought the MET team.

The MET team or the Medical Evaluation Team are the professionals trained to evaluate medical conditions as it relates to state of mind and mental health and whether or not you require intensive treatment at that time.

The 18–24 year old would not open the door. Still to date this person is sleeping inside a burned apartment with no heat, electricity and no running water.

The burned unit that the person is sleeping in every night

The mental health industry is failing the people who need it most. According to a publication called mental health first aid, in the United States mental health is worsening among all age groups. The article also indicated that people aren’t receiving the care they deserve.

But why is that? There has always been a stigma associated with metal illness and I would image that the stigma, coupled with lack of care available would drive people even further away from trying to seek mental health assistance.

If we don’t make it easily available and continue to stigmatize mental health issues then people will continue to suffer unnecessarily.

What disturbs me about this individual is that although I have done my job, meaning I have fulfilled the responsibility that I am tasked with in situations like these, I still can’t help feeling as if maybe I or we (my organization) should have done more to help solve the problem.

I have no mental health expertise or training so realistically there is nothing I can do. And interfering in a situation that I have no training or knowledge could actually make things worse.

My role in the situation is specific, I am responsible to make sure the owner of the property obtains permits for the reconstruction. Beyond that I can make phone calls and see if people will help but my hands are tied.

The system is broken and without some reform it will stay broken and these instances will continue to happen to people who just need help. It’s difficult to witness this and walk away.

We are in a free society and forced care for a consenting adult is not something the system can for lack of a better word force. We do need to have facilities and treatment options available but they have to be available for those who are seeking help.