Mandatory Treatment for Mentally Ill

Mandatory Treatment for Mentally Ill People

Why Mentally Ill People Should Receive Mandatory Treatment

Mental illness has long suffered the stigma of being an incurable kind of illness among humans; however, this stigma did not become strongly associated with the fact that mental illness is a human psychological condition that should receive mandatory treatment. It is imperative for individuals with mental illness to receive mandatory treatment because of three important reasons, which revolve around issues that are relevant socially and psychologically. Three reasons that can be seen why mental illness is a serious condition that requires immediate action is reflected on the following reasons: (1) occurrence of social problems arising from disturbances in the public caused by the mentally ill individual; (2) receipt of treatment for mental illness as an individual right to proper healthcare; and (3) avoidance of further decline of the individual's mental faculties.

The first stated reason and evidence for the mandatory treatment of mentally ill individuals is apparent in many cases wherein the individual, who suffers from anxiety or stress caused by his/her mental illness, commit actions and behavior that do not only deviate from the normative behavior, but also causes problems that have very serious consequences. A case in point was the experience of Russell Weston, a schizophrenic individual who, because he and his community were not able to take the necessary steps to ensure that he will get the proper treatment for his sickness. As a result, Weston, whose schizophrenia escalated due to lack of treatment, caused the death of two police officers in a shooting incident (Torrey & Zdanowicz, 1998). Had Weston been given the proper treatment in the community, and had he known the level of seriousness of his illness, the incident would not take place, and no lives were sacrificed as a result of the lack of vigilance on the part of the society to prevent the prevalence of untreated mentally ill patients.

Another point for mandatory treatment of mentally ill patients is that provision of the community of treatment to mentally ill patients is a right that should be given to individuals. Thus, an individual suffering from mental illness should be given treatment. Perhaps most important of all, the community should first make clear how the treatment can help improve the individual's condition -- that is, allow the individual to accept the fact that s/he suffers from a mental illness. Removing the stigma from the patient himself/herself, as well as from the community, is the first step towards effective treatment for mentally ill patients, which is a healthcare service that they deserve and should be provided to them (LaFleur-Sayler, 2003).