[Clodfobble]

Originally Posted by orthodoc

It's far less expensive than treating lifestyle-induced chronic disease, and we don't balk at that.

This. You're a lard-ass with emphysema needing a triple bypass? Well, of course, that's just basic necessary medicine. You were born with a psychotic disorder through absolutely no fault of your own? Let's pretend it's your own fault and deny treatment.

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

But how do you locate and treat them before they try to ram the White House gates, or gun down a classroom full of children?

The vast majority of those with mental illness have family members who tried for years to get them help. The current situation is made clear in an essay that made the rounds awhile back, called "I am Adam Lanza's Mother." If this mother could get the support she needed now, then her son hopefully would be stable and no threat by the time he's grown. But once they are adults--or sometimes many years before they are adults--family members are no longer equipped to take care of these mentally ill relatives by themselves anymore. They fight the system for as long as they can, but as has been noted, it's extremely difficult to get someone resident care unless they are a direct, immediate, violent threat to themselves or others.

It's true that it's harder to do something about those with mental illness who are already far off the beaten path. But if we invested in the supports now, families would get their children the help they need before things got too deep to handle. Even bad parents whose drug/alcohol/physical/emotional abuse is partly to blame for their children's mental state, they would still be more likely to seek support because from a selfish perspective it would ease their burden.