BY REP. TODD CARVER

I wanted to take an opportunity to discuss a reply I received to last week’s article. For those who missed it, I discussed the fallout from the fatal stabbing of a Ukrainian refugee in Charlotte and what were some appropriate responses.

That article prompted “Liz” to reply in part: So when will serious considerations of the management of the mentally ill be addressed? Not all homeless people are mentally ill and not all who have shelter are mentally healthy! Many problems can be solved without imprisoning or, as was recently suggested, even killing people who are mentally ill! The problems persist and increase as the cans are kicked down the road.

I have worked in the community long enough to have seen the shift in my career away from the “institutionalization” of the mentally ill. The State of North Carolina at one time maintained large hospitals that some would have called warehouses for the mentally ill. People were sent here when the local community and family had run out of options for helping the person function within society.

Somewhere during the time of the late 1990s the concept of institutionalization gave way to community-based rehabilitation. The idea was to put people back into their family environments where they would have the support to get better and have a life outside the walls of a mental institution. The concept made sense, but like many things the devil is in the details.

What happened next was an emphasis on not housing the mentally ill in hospitals. But not enough resources were invested in the community-based treatment model. What we were left with was a mental health system with far too many patients in need of treatment and not enough resources to help them. This is how you end up with a mentally ill person stabbing a woman on the light rail in Charlotte. His mother had taken out involuntary commitment papers on him because she knew he was a danger to himself or others; only to have him returned to the community because there was nowhere to place him.

Another problem you end up with is families turning to emergency rooms because there is no other option. The law enforcement community and those who have tried to get help for a loved one see this firsthand on a regular basis. I have seen people sitting in the ER for two weeks or more waiting for a placement. This is a horrible waste of our resources and a horrible option for families who are asking for help.

We have got to have a societal change in our mindset. The most humane thing to do is not always to return everyone to the community from which they came. There are those people who need the benefit of institutionalization — not just for our safety but for their safety as well. We need to understand that some people need a level of care which can never be maintained at home. Some people do not possess the capacity or ability to care for themselves and it is wrong for us to turn them away from the resources they need to keep themselves and society safe.

Liz, I agree with you. We need to make that investment to protect both the community and the person with mental illness. I do not want to see us criminalize those who don’t know right from wrong, and we can’t continue to just keep kicking the can down the road hoping for a better future. We will have to be willing to consider that some people are simply not better off in the community.

If I can ever help you or your family, please reach out and let me know how. 

Rep. Todd Carver represents the 95th District in the N.C. House. Email him at todd.carver@ncleg.gov.