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NEWS
Treatment Advocacy Center
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 30, 2005 |
CONTACT: |
Alicia
Aebersold at
703 294 6008 or
[email protected]
|
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THE BEGINNING OF HOPE:
KEVIN'S LAW TO AID MENTALLY ILL
Program launched today
makes Michigan’s mental health treatment law more humane
ARLINGTON, VA
– Effective
today, Kevin’s Law enables Michigan to better help those who refuse treatment because
of incapacitating symptoms of illnesses like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The
package of bills known as Kevin’s Law (SB 683-86) was championed by Sens. Tom George
(R, 20th District) and Virg Bernero (D, 23rd District) and signed by Gov. Jennifer
Granholm in December.
Kevin’s Law allows judges to order outpatient
treatment for people with untreated severe mental illnesses who meet specific criteria,
including a recent history of hospitalizations, incarcerations, or behavior dangerous to
themselves or others because of their illness. Forty-two (42) states allow the use of this
effective treatment mechanism, known as assisted outpatient treatment (AOT).
The progressive measure is named for Kevin Heisinger, who was beaten to death in a
Kalamazoo bus station in August 2000 by Brian Williams, a man with untreated
schizophrenia. Williams’ illness caused him to cycle in and out of institutions and
the criminal justice system for years. He was functional when in treatment, but his
condition deteriorated when he stopped taking medication.
This preventable tragedy spurred Sen. George, a doctor and then state representative,
and Sen. Bernero, a consistent champion of those afflicted by mental illness, to introduce
Kevin’s Law. “Kevin’s Law will
make our communities safer and at the same time provide compassionate, earlier care for
people who seriously need it,” Sen. George said. “Until today, families had to
wait until their loved ones made a threat or actually hurt someone before they could get
help, and then the only option was inpatient care. Now people can be helped earlier, and
on an outpatient basis. If the treatment is successful, the person never needs to reach a
crisis point and hospitalization may be altogether averted.”
“Gov. Granholm and Michigan’s legislature are to be congratulated for
reaching out to help a small group of people whose severe and untreated mental illnesses
shatter their lives,” said Treatment Advocacy Center Executive Director Mary T.
Zdanowicz. The Treatment Advocacy Center is a national nonprofit dedicated to removing
barriers to treatment of severe mental illnesses. “States that have effectively
implemented assisted outpatient treatment laws have had well-documented successes in
reducing rates of hospitalization, homelessness, arrests, and incarceration, saving both
lives and money.”
One example is Kendra’s Law, New York’s 5-year-old assisted outpatient
treatment program. New statistics from that state show that during assisted outpatient
treatment, 74% fewer participants experienced homelessness, 77% fewer experienced
psychiatric hospitalization, 83% fewer experienced arrest, and 87% fewer experienced
incarceration. Individuals in Kendra’s Law were also more likely to regularly
participate in services and take prescribed medication. Sharon Carpinello, R.N., Ph.D.,
Commissioner of the New York State Office of Mental Health, also noted that AOT improved
the mental health system as a whole, an unintended but welcome result. "We have seen
improved access to mental health services, improved coordination of service planning,
enhanced accountability, and improved collaboration between the mental health and court
systems,” she noted.
Ann Arbor resident Donna Orrin, MSW, is a consumer, the author of Consumer
Involvement in Policymaking for the Michigan Department of Community Health, and a
member of Gov. Granholm's Mental Health Commission. There were times that Orrin did not
believe she had bipolar disorder despite experiencing extreme symptoms of that illness
– a common condition that leads to treatment refusal. "My mother had me
committed against my will three times, and I would get so mad at her," Orrin said.
"But thanks to her willingness to help me when I was not able to help myself, I have
now been in treatment for a number of years, and have gained insight into my illness. I
have also worked on my recovery process and have created a quality life of my personal
choice. I often now think that my mother must have loved me very much to intervene when my
illness made me push her away."
Orrin's experiences have made her a strong advocate for other consumers and for Kevin's
Law. "Assisted outpatient treatment is meant to help those who cannot identify their
symptoms, and therefore do not seek help. As a result, they could be at risk for suicide,
homelessness, incarceration, or vulnerability to danger from others. They could lose their
spouses or other family members; they could lose their jobs. They could become violent,
solely because of their symptoms. They deserve better. Kevin's Law can give them the same
chance I had."
"There are too many people with serious mental
illness whom we have not been helping, and Kevin's Law can change that," agreed Mark
Reinstein of Southfield, President and CEO of the Mental Health Association in Michigan
and a member of the Governor's Mental Health Commission. "We are worried about
people who are homeless and living under a bridge, who would never choose that lifestyle
if their brain disorder was being treated. They merit our intervention. The
sponsors of this legislation deserve credit for their efforts to improve conditions for
those with severe mental illness. Combined with simultaneous advance psychiatric
directive legislation that was adopted, and with the report of Gov. Granholm's Mental
Health Commission, Kevin's Law is an important step toward a broader vision to address the
many challenges - from treatment to housing to funding - that confront our system."
The change in Michigan law is part of a national trend
toward making mental health treatment laws more humane.
# # #
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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