Mental Health treatment in Oregon

A team of 5 police officers were dispatched to render mental health treatment to a 32-yr-old man with easy access to a firearm with predictable results.

intercst

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Did you read the article?

from the article:
Marion County Grand Jury unanimously found that a Salem police officer, Oregon State Police trooper, and Marion County deputy were justified in their use of deadly force against a man who was roaming the streets with guns, making threats, and shooting at civilians and law enforcement in a November incident.

That not to say Portland hasn’t become a real sh*t show.

https://www.kgw.com/article/news/investigations/portland-public-toilets-portable-what-happened/283-ff025241-95ea-4126-ab70-d62652273998
Starting in September 2020, city of Portland employees put out roughly 130 red portable toilets to help people experiencing homelessness have access to clean restrooms during the pandemic.

In the first few months, city officials admitted, every single unit had been vandalized or damaged in some way. The program cost the city an average of $75,000 per month.

So, what happened to those portable toilets?

Nearly three years later, most of the bright red port-a-potties are gone. The city had them removed.

So I guess Portland like San Francisco has crap in the streets.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/addiction-thrives-in-populations-that-dont-portland-saw-record-number-of-overdoses-in-2023/ar-AA1mucPm
‘Addiction thrives in populations that don’t:’ Portland saw record number of overdoses in 2023

I lived in Portland 1979 to 1981. I doubt I would recognize the city now.

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Yes. And I see similar stories on the news weekly.

During the last Governor’s race in Oregon, all the candidates seemed to agree that the State was short on psychiatric hospital beds (i.e., locked wards where they could corral folks for their own good.) The need was for 4,000 state-wide and they had 400. Plus, Private Equity-owned hospitals where closing those 400 as fast as they could get permission since the mentally ill tend not to be insured.

So we see a toxic mix of loose gun laws and almost non-existent mental health care playing out on the news with disturbing regularity.

intercst

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DB2

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In the 1980’s there was a deinstitutionalization of patients within the USA. Some mental institutions were pretty ratty and the thought that medication of those with mental was the solution. Seems lawmakers didn’t consider what happens when the patient decides on his/her own to stop taking the medication. Past time to reconsider current laws concerning those with mental conditions. And a considerable portion of the homeless have mental issues.
Of course such new legislation would result in increased taxation. And that my friend could result in defeat in the next election. City and states do provide some bandages for homelessness as their constituents are clamoring about that situation. The squeaky wheel gets the grease.

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Yes, and the plain fact is that mental issues for the homeless are almost inevitable, and the only question is the severity.

d fb

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And drug addicts. And mass murderers.

Trying to fix any of these without addressing mental health dooms the proposed solution to failure.

No one wants to pay for mental health. Health insurance policies barely cover anything. Many of those most in need don’t have health insurance anyway. So make everyone pay a little bit (translation, increase taxes) and dip our toe in the water of properly socialized medicine.

Create a national mental health service. Let the Feds hire doctors and therapists and nurses and office help. Acquire some office space, furniture and equipment. And start providing mental health services free of charge.

Want to go elsewhere? Fine. No problem. But you have to pay. You’re a doctor/nurse/office worker and don’t want to work for the government? No problem. Do your own thing. No law against that.

…and mental health work without trained social workers is hopeless. Public Health basically begins with social workers rather than nurses and doctors because

How else do you reach and track a big % of homeless mentally ill?
How do you identify the originating points of the mentally ill (veterans, physical health issues leading to mental issues, illegal drug saels…) so that you can try to ameliorate

Public Health including social workers is crucial social Infrastructure, right up there with safe water supplies and the like. However, the payoffs although huge, only come in long term,… so fuggidaboutit…

david fb

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I would question this association.

Why? It’s the frequent claim of second amendment aficionados that the problem is not the tool but the mental health of the one wielding the tool. And I agree that poor mental health is part of the problem.

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Sure, mandatory screening of everyone for “incorrect thought”. Any data on the reliability of such programs?

The relevant part starts at the 1:15 mark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOTdxqb8YU0

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Much as I enjoy (and often agree with) your conspiracy point of view, that’s not what I’m talking about here. I’m not talking about “incorrect thought.” I was trying to use a bit of coded language here to get my point across. I’ll go the blunt route.

After every mass shooting, some gun worshippers start saying it’s not the gun, it’s the people. That’s usually an implication of some mental illness - an implication I agree with. (I also think we have too many guns, but that’s far too hot a button to go any further down that path.)

So my point is that mass shooters - i.e. mass murderers - are a class of people who would benefit from better mental health services in this country.

–Peter

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In the early 2000s a plan was floated, at the Federal level, for mandatory mental screening, starting with teachers and school children. The scheme was based on a test in Texas, which, critics stated, only resulted in drug companies selling more psychoactive drugs.

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The association I am questioning is mass murderer and homeless.

I don’t know why you would think I’m associating them. I paired the three types of people with mental illness, not with each other.