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Comment by bnralt | Hacker News Reader

We definitely need protections for people who are institutionalized. But we also need protection from the members of society who are being victimized by mentally unstable individuals. Many large cities seem to have no interest at all in the latter, to the point where there’s a class of unwell citizens that the laws no longer apply to. Many are threatening people daily, violently assaulting people, committing frequent theft, using the streets as a bathroom, etc., mostly with impunity, and law-abiding citizens are told to just live with it.

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Sadly, yes. I have all the sympathy, but it stops the moment it gets too close to my nose ( or that of my family ). Anecdotally, my wife works in an environment that sees severe mental cases in a relatively well to do area and the numbers and stories make me mildly uncomfortable ( mostly because I think those are much worse in poverty stricken areas ). And then you have to remember people may be hesitant to just have their name added to the system ( and general distrust and lack of understanding of the rules governing it ); not to mention the social stigma that goes along with it.

I never said anything at all to disagree with what you said. People who are mentally unstable should be treated as if they're undergoing a health crisis like diabetic shock or sepsis or something like this. I am merely pointing out that the article has a major blindspot that weakens it, in that it doesn't adequately acknowledge that the healthcare system might actually be causing more harm to already unstable people due to the medical staff abusing them, and there needs to be additional guardrails or something similar to prevent further harm.

The article describes how the author's best friend murdered his fiance in a psychotic episode, while his support network stood around and praised him for his individual spirit.

The GP distinguishes between psychotics, who require institutionalizing, the mentally unwell, who need guidance, and their victims, who are dead. You glossed over the first and last category, so it's fair for the GP to point out that ideological blindspot.

I'm not writing a several thousand word essay about the best friend who murdered his fiance in a psychotic episode as an example of how psychotic patients should be forcibly institutionalized. I'm merely pointing out the essay doesn't address that institutionalization may make them worse because there isn't enough oversight to ensure the institutions are giving quality healthcare.

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