Wednesday, January 21, 2004

Community in crisis: Drug use, mental illness and crime are a complicated combination (California)
The third article in a Times-Standard series - " Social stigma combined with a scarcity of available treatment have added to the existing stress of mentally ill people in Humboldt County. Mental health advocates are trying to encourage better collaboration among agencies, and better public awareness of mental illness. The intersection of mental illness, drug abuse and the criminal justice system can create challenges even for those with expertise in one of these fields. The desire to keep the community safe from criminals -- mentally ill or otherwise -- must be balanced against the fear of arresting people for aggressive or bizarre behavior related to their illnesses. .."