When is an illness a crime? Would you be sent to jail if you had a seizure, a diabetic coma, or a heart attack? Would you expect someone suffering from one of these illnesses to be transferred for help in an ambulance, or the back of a police car?
If these questions seem silly or unrealistic, ask a person with a mental disorder how they are treated by the police. People who suffer from mental disorders are often stigmatized. Instead of recognizing certain behaviors as symptoms of mental disorders, society often stigmatizes the behaviors and considers people who have them to be criminals.
According to the World Health Organization, mental disorders rank as the biggest health problem in North America — ahead of both cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Nearly half (45 percent) of all individuals with a mental disorder actually meet criteria for two or more disorders. Furthermore, Mental Health First Aid reports that “psychotic disorders are the most misunderstood and misrepresented of all the mental disorders. This lack of understanding often leads to fear, ignorance and stigmatizing attitudes.”
Individuals suffering from these psychotic disorders often fill the jails. They are clearly at risk for being delusional, experiencing hallucinations, and having difficulty thinking. They are anxious, depressed, filled with fear, terror and paranoia. Jail adds to the fear and confusion. However, most of these individuals are there for nuisance crimes and end up spending more time in jail than someone who commits the same crime, but does not have a mental disorder.
What can we do? First, we must get better educated about mental disorders through programs such as Mental Health First Aid. It is only through education that we will eliminate stigma.
Next, we must invest in good mental health services through investments in communities. Also, we should look at such innovative ideas as peer support teams being made available in the court system and continuing work with our Assertive Community Treatment teams.
It is not a crime to have a mental illness, and it is our responsibility as human beings to help those less fortunate than us. Treatment, not jail, is the appropriate response to mental illness.
Ellyn Jeager is director of public policy and advocacy for Mental Health America of Georgia.
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