EDITORIAL
Change the Baker Act: A bill in the legislature 
offers a better way to deal with the mentally ill

Florida needs to change the way it treats the severely mentally ill. A proposed bill is no cure-all, but it would take a significant first step.

The state's Baker Act now allows the mentally ill to be hospitalized against their will for up to 72 hours only if they pose a threat to themselves or others. But after they're released, a small number skip counseling and medication because their disease tells them they aren't really ill. All that can be done is to wait until they again pose a danger so they can be returned to temporary treatment.

A Florida House bill would give courts needed authority to order Baker Act patients into outpatient treatment after they are released. A similar measure in New York has actually reduced repeat hospitalizations, as well as homelessness and arrests in this population.

Supporters backed off a potentially costly provision that would have allowed involuntary hospitalization for those with documented serious mental illness before they became a danger. The bill also would avoid additional costs by allowing court-ordered outpatient treatment only where it's available.

Critics of the bill argue that a better solution is more state money to treat the mentally ill, but there's no money to be had this year for that worthy goal. Besides, those targeted in this bill resist treatment even when it's available.

Florida's severely mentally ill now are on a cruel merry-go-round. They bounce in and out of hospitals or jails, at great cost to society, themselves and their loved ones. Amending the Baker Act would open the door to a more effective, humane approach.

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