TREATMENT ADVOCACY CENTER

Dr. Torrey Takes ‘The Insanity Offense’

The Insanity Offense, E. Fuller Torrey, M.D.’s latest book, describes in detail one of the greatest social disasters in recent American history. This compelling book details what's wrong with mental illness treatment and what can be done to improve care. A "must read" for advocates and others. READ MORE

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New report finds deficit of nearly 100,000 public psychiatric beds

result is increased homelessness, emergency room overcrowding, and

use of jails and prisons as de-facto psychiatric hospitals

Read the Treatment Advocacy Center's report

IN THE NEWS ...

State pays in blood for flawed mental health system

WA – Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Sept. 4, 2008

6 dead in Skagit County shooting rampage

WA – Seattle Times, September 3, 2008

Addiction Doesn't Discriminate? Wrong

NY – New York Times, Sept. 1, 2008

Woman, focus of jail debate, released from custody

FL – Daytona Beach News-Journal, August 29, 2008

Look Closely, Doctor: See the Camera?

NY – New York Times, August 28, 2008

Waging internal war

CO – Denver Post, August 27, 2008

Woman: My son didn't walk 17 miles to commit murder

OH – Canton Repository, August 26, 2008

Death ends family's rocky relationship with mental illness, addiction

IN – Evansville Courier Press, August 22, 2008

Suit filed in Indiana inmate’s toothbrush-burrito death

IN – Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, August 21, 2008

Woman pleads guilty but mentally ill to drowning baby

DE – News Journal, August 20, 2008

40,000 Potential Tragedies

DC – Washington Post, August 19, 2008

Read additional stories on TAC's news ticker.

Did we miss a story? Send it to us. Consequences of nontreatment fill papers daily, like suicide, homelessness, arrest, and violence.

ON TAC'S BLOG...

Washington State Tragedy Draws Reactions [9/4]

The Washington State Roadblock Tragedy [9/3]

People Recognize When Something is Wrong [9/2]

What You Don't Know Can Hurt You [8/29]

Helping Police on the Line [8/27]

Political Campaigns and Mental Illness [8/26]

Leaving a Lasting Legacy [8/22]

Healthy Minds Across America [8/21]

An Aloha Wake Up Call [8/20]

A Grandmother's Quest [8/19]

A Death in the Family [8/18]

Devolution into America's Largest Mental Hospital [8/15]

More Florida Facts [8/13]

Watching a Fire Burn [8/12]

Misguided Justice [8/11]

Another Family Tragedy Strikes [8/8]

Jail or Treatment? [8/6]

Even the Strongest of the Strong Can Need Help [8/5]

Preventable Tragedies [8/4]

The Police and People with Mental Illness [8/1]

When Mental Illness Gets Very Political [7/30]

Moving Beyond the Fear of Treatment [7/29/08]

The Urgency of Now [7/28/08]

States Focus on Mental Illness [7/25]

Does This Look Like a Hospital? [7/24]

Want to join the conversation? Email us! We are interested in your thoughts - and in guest blogs.

TAC IN THE NEWS...

June 9, 2008: Dr. E. Fuller Torrey writes, "Compassion, Compulsion, and the Mentally Ill," for The Wall Street Journal. The oped article details the U.S. failure to treat the seriously mentally ill.

March 17, 2008: The Treatment Advocacy Center released its report on the nationwide shortage of public psychiatric beds. The report - picked up by the New York Sun - reveals a shortage of almost 100,000 beds across the country.

March 12, 2008: The Virginian Pilot published a letter from TAC executive director, Kurt Entsminger. Enstminger criticized Virginia lawmakers for failing to bring real reform to the state's mental health system.

QUICK LINKS ...

Who is the Treatment Advocacy Center?
What is assisted outpatient treatment?
What is lack of insight?
What is my state's treatment law?
How can I fight for treatment for the person I love?
How can I get on your mailing list?
What special resources do you have for familes?
How should my family prepare for crisis?
What books do you recommend? (Includes books by Pete Earley, Xavier Amador, and Fuller Torrey)

I have more questions ..

IN RESEARCH ...

Dr. E Fuller Torrey's presentation at the 2007 NAMI Convention: The Causes And Consequences Of Our Failure To Treat Individuals With Severe Psychiatric Disorders (San Diego, June 22, 2007) Dr. Torrey is president of the Treatment Advocacy Center and was named America’s most famous psychiatrist by the Washington Post.

Schizophrenia and violence. Study links violence and schizophrenia: CATIE data show 19.1% of patients violent in six-month period. Treatment Advocacy Center President Dr. E. Fuller Torrey: “Although most individuals with mental illnesses are not violent, violence by a subgroup of individuals with schizophrenia is far from rare. And the violent behavior is almost always associated with the person not having received treatment for their illness. The only solution is treatment.” Read more...

FOR FAMILIES ...

Read about how to prepare for crisis and fight for treatment; a study showing that assisted outpatient treatment (AOT) reduces caregiver strain; voices from families on AOT; and a guide to navigating the HIPAA privacy law. Find more information and advice for advocates on our advocates page.