Better understanding of mental illness needed

Better understanding of mental illness needed
EDITOR:
What was the Giancola vs. Forum Health trial really about? A family bound closer by a tragic loss looking for closure. A family dissatisfied with a mental health system that has many cracks in it. Could more have been done by the doctors and nurses that would have changed the tragic outcome, the drowning death of two children by their ill mother? A local jury said no. But, those of us who sat through the trial heard a sad refrain that reminds us again that a better mental health system might have produced a different outcome.
What is the solution? Education. Nurses in the psych unit must be educated to raise the standard of care. Mothers of young children must be assessed concerning the fate of their children because suicidal mothers who love their children may feel the need to take care of them, to send them to a better place. Raising the standard of care would mean hospitals need to stop the revolving door and keep patients until an accurate diagnosis has been reached. Studies show that people with severe mental illness, who are properly diagnosed and taking medication, are no more violent than the general population but those not taking medication are more likely to become so.
Education of families concerning possible relapse is crucial because they ultimately deal with the patient when released back into society.
Skip Simpson, a lawyer from Texas specializing in psychological and psychiatric malpractice, raised these issues during the trial; issues that affect all families and patients using the mental health system. No compensation is adequate for such a tragic loss. Families like the Giancola's who question the system are courageous and deserve our respect.
The general public needs to be educated to the fact that mental illness is a brain disorder. Recovery but not a cure is possible through compliance with medications, counseling, and education of families. Rehabilitation is possible on an individual basis, keeping in mind different levels of competence within a single diagnosis and needs of each person.
The jury verdict should not lull anyone into being too confident that Annette Giancola got enough treatment and the right kind of care. After all, she was found innocent by reason of insanity, which says a lot about just how sick she was.
KATHLEEN KLASOVSKY
Youngstown
X The writer is president of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, Mahoning Valley.
Hit 'em where it hurts
EDITOR:
It would seem that many of the nuisance problems handled by the Youngstown Police Department are the result of the presumed manliness of the perpretator. It's all related to how high they think their testosterone level is. The squealing tires, the roaring engine, the pounding stereo, the swagger is all meant to say, "Look at me! See how macho I am!" Some even go so far as to display license plates that exaggerate the size of their private part.
But rape is something more serious. Those boys who gang-raped and sodomized that tiny 22-year-old girl on Aug. 21 did more than degrade her physically, they permanently altered her entire life. It was an animal attack, like a doe being torn apart by a pack of wolves in the forest, only she has to live the rest of her life looking over her shoulder, shaking with fear whenever she leaves her house, especially at night.
She is not the only victim. Just knowing that such a crime can happen makes all women victims. A single female, living alone, knows that she is a target, and knows that it is wise to bolt the door, lock the windows, draw the shades, and always travel in groups.
Since hanging is no longer permitted by law, let's pass a law that anyone who gets convicted of rape by assault is sentenced to castration, no exceptions! That will take care of the testosterone level permanently. And it will send a message to all of those hot-blooded males who might want to take a chance on losing the family jewels.
ROBERT R. FISHER, M.D.
Canfield