On May 7th, CBS-TV’s 60 Minutes took a hard look at Kendra’s Law, New York’s new law that allows, when appropriate, people overcome by mental illness to be placed under a court order to maintain treatment while in the community. The show was aptly entitled, "A Right That Could Be Wrong."

That night millions learned why the answer for people overcome by mental illness is treatment.

Among those interviewed by co-host Leslie Stahl were:

• Charles Stevens, who was shot eight times by police reacting to his psychotic behavior brought on by his failure to take his medication for schizophrenia;

• Henry & Nadine Stevens, his parents;

• Jay Sax, who was stuck in the "revolving door" because of the effects of his bipolar disorder, but who has since escaped it thanks to the Outpatient Commitment Pilot Program at Bellevue Hospital; and

• Dr. Howard Telson, that program’s founder.

Below are some verbatim excerpts from the show.

Dr. Howard Telson: "The most important reason that people with serious mental illness stop taking their medication is because they don't believe that they're ill. They don't believe the medicine will help them."

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Lesley Stahl: "Under the law, families and/or doctors can go to court to force a mentally ill person into treatment, without committing them to a hospital or institution. Now a judge can issue a court order compelling that person to take medication, undergo drug or alcohol testing and treatment, and take advantage of vocational training and supervised housing."

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Dr. Howard Telson: "The most important reason that people with serious mental illness stop taking their medication is because they don't believe that they're ill. They don't believe the medicine will help them."

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Nadine Stevens: "When he walks the streets and he has decomposed to the point where he gets dangerous, what about my rights to be able to – to – don’t I have a right to stand on the subways – platform and know that I'm not going to be pushed under the train?"

Lesley Stahl: "This is something, the mother of Charles Stevens saying that."

Nadine Stevens: "I don't want him to hurt anybody. I want – I want his condition taken care of."

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