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MEDIA ADVISORY
Treatment Advocacy Center
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 16, 2004 |
CONTACT: |
Alicia Aebersold 703 294 6008 or [email protected]
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REGARDING HOSTAGE SITUATION
IN SUITLAND MARYLAND
ARLINGTON, VA - Family members of David
Robinson, who took six children hostage at a day care site in Suitland, Maryland, say that
he has schizophrenia and is off his medication.
Unlike 41 other states, Maryland law does not allow
court-ordered outpatient treatment for individuals with severe mental illnesses. That
means there is no legal mechanism for family members to get someone who needs help into
outpatient treatment. Outpatient treatment is
proven to save lives.
News reports confirm that David threw a butcher knife at
his mother Tuesday morning in a fight over a medical appointment. Maryland gave her no
legal mechanism to get David to the clinic - because Maryland’s mental health
treatment law is so weak, for this family and many others, it comes down to a fight
between son and mother. In DC and 41 other states, including Virginia, she could have had
support from law enforcement or a court. Without assisted outpatient treatment, families
are left alone to battle with the people they love.
The executive director of the national nonprofit Treatment
Advocacy Center, Mary Zdanowicz, is available for an interview on this tragedy. She can
talk about:
- How Maryland
law is one of the strictest in the country, setting up situations that end in
disaster;
- Why about half of those with severe mental illnesses have
impaired awareness of their illness and may refuse
treatment;
- Why Maryland discriminates against some people who have
severe mental illnesses by restricting outpatient mental health services even though all
people with mental illness deserve the right to get help before they reach a crisis point;
- That violent episodes by individuals with untreated mental
illness account for at least 1,000 homicides annually, and that failure to take medication
is one of the three predictors of violence; and
- That all too often, family members are the victims of violent crime by individuals with severe mental
illnesses.
You can reach Mary at 703 294 6005 or 703 294 6008. We can
also provide you with additional interviews and supporting materials and studies.
***
The Treatment Advocacy Center (www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org) is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating barriers to the timely and effective treatment of severe mental illnesses. TAC promotes laws, policies, and practices for the delivery of psychiatric care and supports the development of innovative treatments for and research into the causes of severe and persistent psychiatric illnesses, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
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