Mental Illness and Homelessness Connected to Violence

IP is over the quota
IP is over the quota

Through thousands of anecdotal cases documented for forty years and also tracing the legal history of mental illness from the late 1940s, Dr. Torrey, an eminent psychiatrist, effectively makes the connecting link between a percent of people afflicted with mental illness who are at risk of violent behavior. Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and severe depression are Dr. Torrey's targeted mental health areas. A portion of this population does not acknowledge their illness, do not take their medication and frequently abuse alcohol and drugs. It is this segment of mentally ill persons who most often display, or are at risk of, dangerous and violent behavior. It is also this segment of mentally ill persons who, unfortunately, stigmatize the majority of mentally ill individuals who "make good neighbors."

"One of the great social disasters of recent American history" is the aptly coined phrase Dr. Torrey uses to describe the consequences of laws and policies that have led to increasing homelessness, incarceration, violence and homicides involving mentally ill. Most importantly, the legislatively passed laws and policies have caused much anguish and pain for the multitude of families with extremely mentally ill loved ones.

During the past fifty years hundreds of thousands of people have been released from the public mental hospitals as a result of civil rights involuntary commitment law suits and civil rights lawsuits that said a person with a mental illness has a right to refuse to take medications, even though the medications are effective in treating the person. The results led to deinstitutionalization which subsequently led to documented homelessness, violence, incarceration and tragedy for a segment of the mentally ill population.

One of the documented cases Dr. Torrey summarizes in his book involves an intelligent young man who at the age of sixteen was diagnosed with schizophrenia and considered dangerous. He was in-and-out of hospitals, threatened on several occasions to kill his mother, his sister and her child. His behavior became increasingly erratic as he got older. For over ten years his mother and sister tried in vain to get help. Finally, in desperation and out of love in not wanting to see him suffer the rest of his life they killed him. Dr. Torrey agreed to testify pro bono for the defense at the trial but the lawyer declined. Sadly, Dr. Torrey states that several times each year someone in the United States makes the same decision. "Faced with what appears to be inevitable, the unthinkable becomes thinkable."

Another documented case related by Dr. Torrey is a 2004 case involving a bipolar disordered young man who was not taking his medication, strangled his mother and stabbed to death his sister and her young son. His father, a lawyer, stated, "If I had had any clue this would happen, I would have gone over there, killed my son, and turned myself in..."

Dr. Torrey's belief is that the system that treats mentally ill persons is sadly deficit. He makes the strong case that it is imperative the mental health policies be reformed and that policies mandate the extremely mentally ill persons who could be or are dangerous receive the treatment they clearly need. The final chapter of his book is devoted to the steps that should be taken to successfully fix the present disastrously ineffective system.

This book is a must-read for anyone with a loved one suffering from mental illness and for all other individuals concerned with mental illness and the subset of people with potential for violence.

Justine Landes
Co-author: Nehemiah Landes

Superfreakonomics-' amusing, informative, thought-energy-conventional wisdom Overturns

Superfreakonomics Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner have two wildly popular and successful bestseller Freakonomics, p?ihit?t the facts which explain the economic advantages and disadvantages of human behaviors vary depending on the drug is a baby name. Superfreakonomics, such as its predecessor is a single topic or theme to pin down. Rambles through the range of topics, amiably economic reasons, unforeseen consequences, as well as the solutions, prostitution, terrorism, health care, apathy and altruism, child safety and climate change. It deals with the economics eating Kangaroo meat (Hint: it is the conclusion of a fart!), sex change operations, and chemotherapy.

The continuous rolling of traditional solutions and the most fascinating factoids that are sure to add color to the cocktail party conversation dozes readers provide. Which is more dangerous to the drunk driving or a drunk walking? Why was the horse manure in New York City, a major problem in the last century? Why suicide bombers should buy life insurance, even if the life insurance contracts not to pay in the event of suicide? Why does the traffic-related deaths increased within three months following the 9/11 attacks? How the 9/11 attacks highlight the problem that resulted in a revolutionary advance in medicine? You can find the answers to Superfreakonomics.

This book answers to questions, no one ever stopped to ask, in particular, for some strange sex, gender differences, and prostitution. Why is 35 million fewer females than men in India? Why is it that men in India has a low success rate of condoms? Is a Chicago COP's prostitute are more likely to be stopped, or has sex with a COP? Can monkeys teach sex two cost?

Superfreakonomics is not all trivia. It will tell you what chemotherapy is working and to those which have been completely ineffective cancer types. In fact, it make you think twice about what happens to the hospital, the doctor's Office, and the emergency room. It also shows the truth about child safety seats.

Most people remember the story about the murder of Kitty Genovese. He brutally murdered the assailant here in Queens New York neighborhood, even if you have followed the 38 neighbors; No one called the police. At, at least, that is the story of the newspapers reported the story that later appeared in the tens, the sociology of texts in the following decade. There is only one problem. The story is not entirely real. Levitt and Dubner tell what really happened, some of the surprising findings of altruism, and your own.

Levitt and Dubner Show how Cheap and simple solutions can sometimes be found also, or, in the case of expensive and complicated problems, such as hurricanes, global warming, and infections are the hospital invented. Anyone who reads this book is no doubt, that is to say, "Wow, never knew that!" or "I never thought about it this way!"

Superfreakonomics is a fascinating, informative and amusing, '' acted on at the same time. It provided a new perspective of the two topics that are grabbing headlines today. Read the Freakonomics and Superfreakonomics, and find out how wrong our politicians and the heads of State or Government are really! Now, when you read it, understand why these two books is a huge following! You have successfully joined in the next lot of my delight.

Judith e. Pearson, Ph.d. is a licensed hypnotherapist, Advisor, author, speaker and Coach NLP Motivational private practice strategies, Inc., Springfield, Virginia. He is a certified clinical Hypnotherapists http://www.natboard.com/National Board Executive Director. He published recently by the weight, you can reduce the weight of the Hypnotherapy and NLP and Hypnotherapy Practitioners program: a handbook. This web site is http://www.engagethepower.com/