October 6, 2025

This is not my usual topic for my blogs. It is a topic that is very near, but not so dear to me. With everything going on in the world and on the news lately, I thought it was a good time to put this subject out there for people to mull over. Because, without public action, there will be no change.

Mental illness in our cities is a troubling and confusing issue. Our streets are not a safe place for the mentally ill or our citizens. Someone who knows how to think outside the box needs to devise a plan. Design a place that isn’t a jail-type facility but where they could stay without feeling like they were in prison. We have those for Alzheimer’s and dementia patients. Why can’t that same situation be available to the mentally ill? The mentally ill should be treated with the same dignity. They have little more ability to make their own life decisions than Alzheimer’s or Dementia patients. Unfortunately, there are no laws covering when these people are unable to care for themselves. The only laws are to keep them safe when they are in a facility or if they are a threat to others or themselves. There are more laws covering how we treat our dogs and cats.

President Ronald Reagan thought he was doing something special by opening all the mental institutions up and “setting them free”. It just made a huge mess. I don’t want things to go back to the way they were in the ‘50s & ‘60s, but there needs to be some control options. The number of mentally ill people who are homeless and out living on our streets is deplorable. With all the money this country has, there is no reason something can’t be done. I know, it isn’t a glamorous job, but it is a necessary one. There are too many families torn up by not having a place where the mentally ill can stay and be cared for.

Mental illness is a frustrating and confusing situation. It has such a huge range of symptoms and diagnoses, from depression to Schizophrenia. How do you address these and all that is in between?

Most of the crime in our country seems to stem from mental illness in some way. Either with drug use for self-medicating, lack of self-control, excitement, stealing for money for drugs, or even food. This is the 21^st century, and it shouldn’t be happening. There should be a way to address this malady.

My mother and great-grandmother both spent time in several hospitals due to their inability to deal with life’s issues. When the hospitals were eliminated, my mother spent most of her life bouncing from one hospital-like situation to another. She would go in, spend her allotted time, usually a week or two, then they would let her go. Nothing changed in her life, so she just returned to what she knew. It just shouldn’t be like that.

I watch my friends and neighbors, and their kids suffer from drug use, jail, and distress, all because of undiagnosed mental illness. This shouldn’t happen.

Teachers notice, doctors diagnose, families know, but because of the stigma attached to a mental illness diagnosis, nothing is done until either jail time or death.

I know that the largest part of the problem is that the patients themselves refuse to accept their diagnosis, so they don’t take their medications. They don’t get the help they need.

There is a way to design a facility for these people. Alzheimer’s and dementia patients have places to go and live. It keeps them and society safe. Why is this so difficult to do for the mentally ill? The mindset of society needs to change regarding mental illness. Most patients with good help and medication can lead a productive and fulfilling life. But someone needs to step up and offer this help. I would guess that a good percentage of you who are reading this know someone who would benefit from this help.

Maybe this is a battle that can’t be won, maybe there aren’t any laws that can be written to help those who can’t help themselves. But I don’t think that we should stop looking and trying.