Discussions

Why is it that a person afflicted with a mental health disease is not held responsible for a crime perpetrated because of that disease? The reason given that they are /were incapable of controlling their situation because of their state of mind. Yet they can refuse medication and, cannot be forced to take the medication which would assist them in their management and possible recovery of the mental disease. On one hand they are incapable of controlling their actions (committing the violent act) and on the other they are in control of their actions (refusing medication), can’t have it both ways. This is a problem for all the obvious reasons but also if a person is treated and is deemed to be able to live in the community and then decide to cease taking the meds, where are the safeguards, the law states they can not be forced to comply in their recovery if they choose not to. I believe mental illness is a disease as is cancer or diabetes: but this particular malady invades the thinking processes of the brain. It interferes with our ability to cope, and comprehend, how then would we be capable of understanding and evaluating the importance of our treatment if we are at such a point that we are not in control and/or can maintain control. If we have a physical disease we of course take the prescribed mode of treatment because in most cases our reasoning is intact. Mental illness impairs that reasoning process. If we are so concerned with a person’s rights, one should guarantee that a person who is incapable of making rational decisions due to mental dysfunction take the prescribed path to if not full recovery at least management of the disease. This also applies to everyday expectations of having a relatively normal life and not only attention caused by violent actions (perhaps to avert such actions). Victims of mental disease should be treated until they are capable of coherent thought and action. We owe those afflicted with mental illness and society that much.  
 
 
Edited by ThinEdge, 2009-03-04 11:11:50