Opinion: What Do San Diegans Think Should Be Done To Improve Mental Health Services

© (Jorm Sangsorn/Getty Images) ((Jorm Sangsorn/Getty Images))

Some clear steps must now be taken

Our family has experienced the frustration of trying to find mental health for a loved one over the years and has heard of many families who have faced the same issue. Since 72 hours is not enough for a constant charge, the system has a revolving door.

Unfortunately, most family members with mental illness cannot afford to be part of a support group. They will keep secret where their loved ones are, if they are hospitalized, in which hospital, when they will be released, what steps will be taken for follow-up or if they will be jailed, how they will go through the new behavioral health court. After our loved ones are stabilized, we hope to find affordable housing, apply for Social Security benefits, hire workers, and create special needs trusts. The main problem is who will take care of our loved ones when we are gone.

Critical mental health gaps remain in San Diego County and must be addressed. We recommend the following changes:

• Pass Senate Bill 43, which expands the definition of "serious disability" to allow more loved ones to qualify for the 5150 contract.

• Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Amendments, including access to more information about whether a family member is in a facility and becomes a member of a care team. .

• Make sure your mental health records are in a central database accessible through the National Mental Health Network. Every person admitted to a psychiatric facility must have an accessible mental health history with prescription medications and verified contact information for family members to ensure safe continuity of care. The release form must be signed or initialed by an authorized representative and must be used in any health care facility or state and federal grant programs.

• Provide caregivers to ensure treatment and follow-up for people with severe mental illness 30 days or more after discharge.

• Skip the preservation process, because today your loved one will have to be hospitalized for several months and only the doctor will start the process, not the family.

• Help loved ones complete the necessary paperwork to keep their lives stable. This must include Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Section 8 or low-income housing, and EBT food stamps.

• After discharge from a psychiatrist and/or court, establish a court-ordered or medical team-ordered long-term therapeutic residential program, eliminating temporary visits.

Sue and Robert Casalava, San Marcos

We need to coordinate crisis management.

An in-depth analysis of the 72 Hour Project, published by the San Diego Union-Tribune, was incredibly important in explaining what happens when someone in crisis calls 911. However, I am deeply moved and grateful for the hours. The journalists presented a one-hour report.

There seems to be no coordination between institutions or health professionals who are admitted to hospitals or prisons, and their loved ones are not diagnosed. In my experience, the police believe that a person in trouble is addicted to drugs or alcohol and is a danger to themselves or others. They are not trained psychiatrists or addiction specialists. We need a concerted effort, more psychiatric emergency response teams and crisis centers to initiate appropriate treatment.

To make the situation even more tragic for individuals and their families, when people leave the hospital after 72 hours, they never receive proper counseling or a chance to recover. Basically, they go out any day or night, and the family rarely gets together.

Please alert our agents that this is a high priority emergency where unclaimed animals are treated worse than animals until they find a home for their lives. Many loved ones live with a broken heart every day. We ask the bodies in charge of protecting human life to give priority to correcting this tragic situation.

Arlene Kosakov, Del Mar Heights

More Brain Research Needed

My first problem when I sat down to write was defining what mental illness was. I know they're not talking about serial killers and such, but I think they're talking about the homeless population.

Many said that many homeless people suffer from mental illness. Mental illness is now a social construct because what was considered a mental illness 100 years ago is not what it is today. There have always been people who like to live on the road, go and do what they want. This is how our ancestors lived long ago. I don't consider them mentally ill. However, many of these use both legal and illegal drugs. Drugs can change people's minds to their detriment. They warn that drugs given to people with depression can trigger suicidal thoughts. This adds fuel to the fire. Many people living on the streets could find permanent housing if it weren't for drugs.

Also, there are people who have always acted normally, but suddenly become desperate and attack their families, neighbors, police, schools and churches. But maybe something is broken in his mind to do that.

A similar situation occurs in a person who breaks his leg, although in this case the obvious cause is a fall from a tree. It would be a mistake to call people whose minds have changed and whose behavior has resented society a specific mental illness.

Talking to them about bad behavior or giving them medication doesn't help. Is there something you need? And the more brain research, the better.

Therefore, I believe that mental illness must be a mental disorder. Experts agree that Alzheimer's is a mental disorder. If the memory part of the brain can be damaged, why not other parts, such as rational thought?

Scientists are learning more and more about the capabilities of the human brain. This will be the answer to mental illness.

Barbara Bowen, Pretty

Stop the stigma to solve these problems

We Americans need to rethink our unfounded beliefs about mental/emotional health. A brain that lacks serotonin or dopamine is not a lack of insulin production by the pancreas. One or two of the excellent prescription drugs on the market today can greatly reduce the problem.

Many doctors, not just psychiatrists, recognize that anger and destructive behavior are external manifestations of internal illnesses (ie depression). Medication works better than "anger management" and is a type of "brain chemistry insight" that requires self-control.

I read in this newspaper last weekend that a man in his sixties jumped off a road bridge. Men are four times more likely to commit suicide than women. Along with the aforementioned misconception, many men believe that asking for help, even going to the doctor, will hurt their "masculinity." Thanks to Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman and Olympian Michael Phelps for speaking out about their recent depression.

There are many San Diego County residents who have had mental/emotional health experiences (myself included) and those experiences are much better than others. We love helping other people who are just starting out, learning more about their feelings, and helping them find the help they need.

Humans are social animals. We need to talk. I would like the county to provide a place where I can volunteer and share information about life saving medications. Such a program could at least put the homeless back to work, at least prevent crime and disruptive behavior in general, like school shootings.

Peggy GoodmanOceanside

Editor's note: You are not alone If you or a loved one need help, call the National Crisis Line on 988.

This story originally appeared in the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Breaking News in San Diego on April 28 at 6:00 pm