Written by:

Connie Sheller
Emeritus Board Member - Phoenix of Santa Barbara

----The laws of our nation were created to protect its citizens. Some regulations govern our everyday living, such as motor vehicle laws, one of which is the seat belt law. Many people didn't like being told they had to strap in when driving and riding. The car is, after all, a symbol of freedom and independence and I confess I was among the grumblers. I was, that is, until the crash that killed Princess Diana and all the other passengers in the car-except her bodyguard who was wearing a seat belt. I decided the seat belt law is a good thing.
----We Americans cherish our independence, but there are times when, for the good of the community, laws restricting our freedom must be made. As an observer of the mental health dilemma for nearly eight years, I have reached the difficult conclusion that the time has come to restrict the freedom of those who choose not to take medications to control their symptoms of mental illness. The community has a right - indeed a responsibility-to care for those who cannot care for themselves. Members of families have a right to a stable home environment with no one member being an unnecessary, unending source of stress and grief. Medications have been vastly improved, causing fewer side-effects.
----The efficacy of medication can be illustrated by the recent case of a woman who, doing well on medication and working part-time, felt able to leave her supervised environment to live independently in an apartment. Shortly afterwards she decided she was doing well enough to no longer need her medication. This led to such a severe crisis she needed to be hospitalized-not for a couple of weeks, but for several months. She is now back to taking her medication in a supervised home. This woman is indigent so taxpayers paid the cost of the expensive hospitalization, and she lost the freedom she had gained.