Insane Consequences: How the Mental Health Industry Fails the Mentally Ill

by DJ Jaffe, author of American Psychosis: How the Federal Government Destroyed the Ment author of American Psych (Foreword by)

Overview

This well-researched and highly critical examination of the state of our mental health system by the industry's most relentless critic presents a new and controversial explanation as to why—in spite of spending $147 billion annually—140,000 seriously mentally ill are homeless, 390,000 are incarcerated, and even educated, tenacious, and caring people can't get treatment for their mentally ill loved ones. DJ Jaffe blames the mental health industry and the government for shunning the 10 million adults who are the most seriously mentally ill—mainly those who suffer from schizophrenia and severe bipolar disorder—and, instead, working to improve "mental wellness" in 43 million others, many of whom are barely symptomatic. Using industry and government documents, scientific journals, and anecdotes from his thirty years of advocacy, Jaffe documents the insane consequences of these industry-driven policies: psychiatric hospitals for the seriously ill are still being closed; involuntary commitment criteria are being narrowed to the point where laws now require violence rather than prevent it; the public is endangered; and the mentally ill and their families are forced to suffer. Insane Consequences proposes smart, compassionate, affordable, and sweeping reforms designed to send the most seriously ill to the head of the line for services rather than to jails, shelters, prisons, and morgues. It lays out a road map to spend less on mental "health" and more on mental "illness"—replace mission creep with mission control and return the mental health system to a focus on the most seriously ill. It is not money that is lacking; it's leadership. This book is a must-read for anyone who works in the mental health industry or cares about the mentally ill, violence, homelessness, incarceration, or public policy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781633888036
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	07/01/2022
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	336,036
Product dimensions:	6.06(w) x 9.05(h) x 1.07(d)

About the Author

DJ Jaffe served as the executive director of Mental Illness Policy Org., a nonpartisan think tank, which creates detailed policy analysis for legislators, the media, and advocates. He has appeared on television and has written opinion pieces for the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and articles for National Review and Huffington Post. He has served with numerous nonprofits including the Treatment Advocacy Center and National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Table of Contents

Foreword E. Fuller Torrey, MD 11

Authors Notes 13

Preface: How I Got Involved 15

Introduction: Overview of Everything 19

Infamous Mentally Ill Adults Who Went Off Treatment 25

Section 1 The Insane Consequences

Chapter 1 Human Consequences of Ignoring the Seriously Mentally Ill 31

Chapter 2 Criminal Justice Consequences of Ignoring the Seriously Mentally Ill 43

Chapter 3 Financial Consequences 53

Section 2 Mental Health vs. Mental Illness: What's the Difference and Why Does it Matter?

Chapter 4 What Serious Mental Illness is Not 61

Chapter 5 What Serious Mental Illness Is and How That Should Drive Policy 65

Chapter 6 What Science Tells Us about Treatment That Should Be Reflected in Policy 77

Section 3 The Mental Health Industry

Chapter 7 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) 97

Chapter 8 The Mental Health Nonprofit Complex and Its Critics 111

Section 4 The Industry Is In Denial

Chapter 9 The Industry Fights Efforts to Reduce Violence 113

Chapter 10 The Industry Fights Life-Saving Involuntary Interventions 141

Chapter 11 The Industry Fights Access to Hospitals, Medications, and Electroconvulsive Therapy 147

Section 5 Diverting Funds to What Doesn't Work

Chapter 12 The Industry Diverts Funds to Programs That Lack Evidence and Don't Help 157

Chapter 13 The Industry Diverts Funds to Irrelevant Stigma Programs 175

Section 6 Failing the Seriously Mentally Ill

Chapter 14 Federal Policies That Fail the Seriously Ill 183

Chapter 15 Court Decisions That Failed the Seriously Ill 205

Section 7 Where Do We Go?

Chapter 16 Solutions 221

Chapter 17 The Future 239

Appendix A Serious Mental Illness Defined 243

Appendix B Studies on Violence and Mental Illness 247

Appendix C Studies Correlating Anosognosia with Violence 253

Appendix D Studies on Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) in New York and Elsewhere 257

Appendix E HIPAA Reforms 267

Acknowledgments 269

Notes 273

Index 353

Editorial Reviews

"One of the most important books written on how to reform the mental health system.”—E. Fuller Torrey, MD, author of Surviving Schizophrenia“Essential reading for anyone concerned about America's most vulnerable.” —Sally Satel, MD, Yale University School of Medicine“The truth in this book haunts me with its blazing clarity. Jaffe's informed and passionate plea for fundamental change is rooted in a sense of deep humanity. He has paid attention to those who are neglected and suffering right under our noses and challenges us to do something about it.”—Glenn Close, actress and cofounder of Bring Change 2 Mind "A timely and thoughtful analysis of a broken system that needs replacing.” —Pete Earley, bestselling author of Crazy: A Father's Search Through America's Mental Health Madness “Illuminates the countless and unacceptable failures of our mental health system—including the barbaric criminalization of mental illness.”—Thomas J. Dart, Cook County sheriff“A slashing, comprehensive, highly readable call to awareness and action.” —Ron Powers, Pulitzer prizewinner and author of No One Cares about Crazy People “This book will break your heart, make you furious, and ultimately give you hope when you read Jaffe's smart ideas for reform.” —Susan Adams, senior editor, Forbes “[We're] forcing people with no recognition of their illness onto the streets or into the jails in the name of civil liberties. Insane Consequences details what we should do.”—Norman Ornstein, resident scholar, American Enterpise Institute “DJ Jaffe calls us back to common sense and basic decency in this deeply felt, important book.” —Rich Lowry, editor, National Review “A smart and compassionate call to action.”—Allen Frances, former chair of the Department of Psychiatry at Duke and of the DSM-IV Task Force, and author of Saving Normal“I am proud that DJ Jaffe, a constituent and member of the Harlem chapter of National Alliance on Mental Illness, has been tirelessly advocating to help the seriously mentally ill. Through increased awareness and improved public policy as outlined in this book, we can combat challenges we face to ameliorate mental health.” —Charlie Rangel, former representative (D-NY)

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