People with Mental Illness Have Rights

A friend recently told me of several cases in which people with major depression or an anxiety disorder were afraid to seek treatment because they feared it would interfere with their child visitation rights if it became known that they were being treated for a mental illness. Many people choose not to let others know about their brain disorders for many reasons, chiefly that there are a lot prejudiced people who think of people in two categories: the mentally "ill," those poor folks who can't think straight, act weird, and are potentially violent; and "the rest of us," those mentally "healthy" folks who are in control of their thoughts and emotions and act "normal." This belief is, of course, ridiculous. There is no "them and us." All of us have experienced cognitive and emotional difficulties and none of us is always in total control of his/her thoughts and emotions.
No one has a guarantee that s/he will never suffer from a mental illness any more than a guarantee that s/he will never suffer an illness of any other organ in the body. This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which says that a "disability means, with respect to an individual, a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of such individual." The act has brought about a large-scale reform in how this society views and protects individuals with disabilities, including mental illness, and ensures that these individuals have legal protection against discrimination. In addition, all fifty states have a Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness (PAIMI) program that specifically safeguards the rights of people with mental illness. People cannot lose visitation or any other rights by having a mental illness or by seeking therapeutic services. We have traveled far from the days when persons with mental illness were powerless to make their own decisions or avail themselves fully of their fundamental liberties. All consumers of services offered by agencies of the Washington County Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Board have the right to: Receive competent, quality services and accurate, easily understood information about those services; Access necessary, appropriate medications and treatment services, including emergency care services when the need arises; Refuse any service that is offered without losing access to desired services; Fully participate in all decisions related to their care or, if unable to make decisions, representation by parents, family members, guardians, or friends; Considerate, respectful care from all staff at all times; Communicate with care providers in confidence and have that confidentiality protected; Understand what is in their client records, how to review them, how to request changes or amendments to the records, and how to get copies; A fair and efficient process for resolving differences with their care providers, as well as complete information about the grievance process. As with all rights, there are attendant responsibilities for consumers of mental health services: responsibility for acquiring healthy living habits, for becoming involved in specific decisions about mental health care, and, among others, disclosing relevant information and clearly communicating wants and needs. Greater individual involvement by consumers in their care increases the likelihood of achieving the best outcomes and helps support a successful therapeutic environment.