Contrary‌ ‌to‌ ‌politically‌ ‌motivated‌ ‌claims, ‌I‌ ‌learned‌ ‌that‌ ‌people‌ ‌with‌ ‌serious‌ ‌mental‌ ‌ills‌ ‌are‌ ‌not‌ ‌necessarily‌ ‌prone‌ ‌to‌ ‌commit‌ ‌violent‌ acts‌ ‌ — ‌they‌ ‌are‌ ‌far‌ ‌more‌ ‌likely‌ ‌to‌ ‌become‌ ‌‌victims‌‌ ‌of‌ ‌crime. ‌Rather, ‌the‌ ‌issue‌ ‌is‌ ‌that‌ ‌treatments‌ ‌known‌ ‌to‌ ‌be‌ ‌effective‌ ‌are‌ ‌underfunded‌ ‌or‌ ‌wrongly‌ ‌dismissed‌ ‌as‌ ‌ineffective‌ ‌or‌ ‌too‌ ‌dangerous; ‌basic‌ ‌research‌ ‌in‌ ‌university‌ ‌and‌ ‌government‌ ‌laboratories‌ ‌into‌ ‌new‌ ‌and‌ ‌better‌ ‌drugs‌ ‌is‌ ‌limited‌ ‌and‌ ‌also‌ ‌underfunded; ‌and‌ ‌pharmaceutical‌ ‌companies‌ ‌have‌ ‌shown‌ ‌little‌ ‌interest‌ ‌in‌ ‌developing‌ ‌and‌ ‌testing‌ ‌treatments‌ ‌for‌ ‌severe‌ ‌mental‌ ‌illness. ‌ ‌

Also‌ ‌at‌ ‌issue‌ ‌is‌ ‌that, ‌as‌ ‌was‌ true‌ for‌ ‌cancer‌ ‌until‌ ‌recently, ‌acknowledgment‌ ‌of‌ ‌mental‌ ‌illness‌ ‌carries‌ ‌a‌ ‌stigma‌ ‌that‌ ‌impedes‌ ‌its‌ ‌early‌ ‌recognition, ‌when‌ ‌it‌ ‌can‌ ‌be‌ ‌most‌ ‌effectively‌ ‌treated‌ ‌or‌ ‌reversed. ‌ ‌

Early‌ ‌intervention‌ ‌is‌ ‌critical, but‌ ‌even‌ ‌when‌ ‌mental‌ ‌illness‌ ‌is‌ ‌recognized‌ ‌in‌ ‌a‌ ‌family‌ ‌member, ‌ ‌the‌ ‌person‌ ‌may‌ ‌resist‌ ‌treatment, ‌often‌ ‌claiming‌ ‌that he or she is ‌not‌ ‌the‌ ‌one ‌who‌ ‌is ‌sick. ‌ ‌

As‌ ‌Dr. ‌Kenneth‌ ‌P. ‌Rosenberg‌ ‌recounts‌ ‌in‌ ‌his‌ ‌new‌ ‌book, ‌“Bedlam: ‌An‌ ‌Intimate‌ ‌Journey‌ ‌into‌ ‌America’s‌ ‌Mental‌ ‌Health‌ ‌Crisis,” ‌when‌ ‌the‌ ‌huge, ‌disgraceful‌ ‌psychiatric‌ ‌asylums‌ ‌were‌ ‌shuttered‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌mid- to‌ ‌late 1900s, ‌the‌ ‌assumption‌ ‌was‌ ‌that‌ ‌community‌ ‌mental‌ ‌health‌ ‌centers‌ ‌would‌ ‌take‌ ‌over, ‌ ‌allowing‌ ‌those‌ ‌with‌ ‌serious‌ ‌mental‌ ‌illness‌ ‌to‌ ‌be‌ ‌treated‌ ‌as‌ ‌outpatients. ‌ ‌

But‌ ‌neither‌ ‌the‌ ‌centers‌ ‌nor‌ ‌the‌ ‌communities‌ ‌that‌ ‌housed‌ ‌them‌ ‌were‌ ‌prepared‌ ‌to‌ ‌deal‌ ‌with‌ ‌the‌ ‌influx‌ ‌of‌ ‌extremely‌ ‌needy‌ ‌patients. ‌ ‌