BOTTOM LINE: KENDRA'S LAW SAVES LIVES
Assisted outpatient treatment will help New Mexico's mentally ill
access treatment, free them from prison of psychosis

It is because of so many dedicated local advocates that New Mexicans may soon have access to a law proven effective time and time again, in national studies and real-world implementation, to improve the quality of life of people with severe mental illnesses.

New Mexico is one of only 8 states without an assisted outpatient treatment (AOT) law. That means someone too ill to make an informed treatment decision must be left untreated until they are in a crisis, posing a “likelihood of serious harm to themselves or others.”

Proposed legislation (HB174 and SB335) would allow New Mexico courts to order someone with a severe mental illness into outpatient treatment if a judge finds they meet specific requirements. This law has broad bipartisan support, including Gov. Richardson, Albuquerque Mayor Chavez, and U.S. Sen. Domenici, as well as the New Mexico chapter of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill.

Some lobbying against this bill have been swayed by easy clichés, perhaps unaware of the overwhelming research that assisted outpatient treatment both saves lives and makes precious existing services more effective.

Calls to protect civil liberties betray a profound misunderstanding of that term. There is nothing “civil” about leaving people lost to disease to live homeless on the streets, suffering rape and victimization. There is nothing “right” about leaving someone untreated and psychotic, rendering them incapable of discerning whether they are attacking a CIA operative or their own mother.

Assisted outpatient treatment laws are meant to help those who are too ill to make rational treatment decisions. It would in no way adversely affect people with mental illnesses who are able to make informed treatment decisions, usually those who testify at hearings or press conferences. In New Mexico, only about 75 to 100 people would be placed in the program each year. For that small group - a group for whom voluntary services will never be enough - these laws have been shown to reduce hospitalizations, arrests, incarcerations, victimizations, homelessness, and caregiver stress, and improve medication compliance and quality of life. In New York, 81% of interviewed participants said Kendra’s Law helped them get and stay well.

AOT laws also reduce violence. People with mental illnesses are usually no more violent than the general public, but the opposite is true for people with severe mental illnesses who are not taking medication. Pretending this statistic doesn’t exist does a grave disservice to those who are in desperate need of help, and their families. Stigma comes not from news articles about a crime, but from the crime itself. Helping people who are in need means fewer crimes, less stigma, and better outcomes for the people who are ill.

Kendra’s Law will improve the quality of life for a small group of New Mexicans with the most severe mental illnesses. Don’t ignore the research and science in favor of emotion. These laws save lives. Let’s work together to ensure there is no discrimination against those who are the sickest – and that they have the true civil right to be free of psychosis.

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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