Mental Health Budget Cuts: "Rehabilitation is Cheaper than Incarceration--Dignity is Priceless

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Kate L McLaughlin

Several years ago on the streets of San Francisco, my husband Mark and I simultaneously experienced both sides of a controversial issue. Our son Michael, freshly released from a psychiatric hospital where he’d received treatment for Bipolar Disorder walked with us. Much improved but still struggling with anxiety, low-level mania, and paranoia, he began to unravel as the day grew long.

Knowing we needed to get Michael back to the hotel, we decided to grab an early dinner. Just outside the restaurant the three of us encountered a homeless man who clearly suffered from symptoms much like Michael’s. Propelled by some magnetic force, these two young men gravitated toward one another with aggressive posturing and angry words. Had Mark not been present to intervene and lead Michael away, violence would have ensued. Instead, however, we guided our son toward greater calm while the other fellow spiraled out of control, his loud rantings echoing through the street until someone eventually called the police. Two young men. Both ill. One, with support, walked away. The other, on the street and alone, went to jail.

As is too often the case, illness became crime; and unfortunately, budget cuts enacted last week by Governor Schwarzenegger will almost certainly result in an increase of similar cases. The now unfunded Integrated Services for Homeless Adults with Serious Mental Illness program supported over 4500 people. Through housing, medical treatment, job counseling, and perhaps most significant, a sense of belonging, this program returned dignity to an often disenfranchised group. What will happen to them now?

According to William Shryer, Clinical Director of Diablo Behavioral Healthcare and Program Director for DBH Neuroscience Seminars, even more will go to jail. “Our budget will decimate children’s and the homeless’ ability to access mental health services. What this will mean is that sicker individuals will end up in the Criminal Justice system and require more money to handle the situation. This is truly biting the nose to spite the face. The “5 P” principal, “Prior Planning Promotes Professional Performance” was not at work here.”