People who work or volunteer in mental health services in the St. Louis area are plenty worried, with good reason.\u00a0 Because of Missouri\u2019s budget shortfalls and huge bureaucratic tangles, funds and services for citizens with mental illness have shrunk to crisis proportions.\u00a0 This problem is hard to untangle because it involves the Missouri Department of Mental Health, numerous local hospitals and community health centers, providers both public and private, and \u2013 looming above all else \u2013 the closing of Metropolitan Psychiatric Center (MPC) for emergency room services and acute patient beds. MPC was our state supported adult psychiatric facility in the St. Louis area. \u00a0For those who are interested in reading about the closing of MPC, look at Jeannette Cooperman\u2019s excellent article, \u201cLosing It,\u201d<\/a> in the November, 2010 issue of St. Louis<\/em> magazine.<\/p>\n

The ugly reality<\/strong><\/p>\n

To take a simpler look at the current mental health dilemma without wading through dozens of acronyms, let\u2019s see what happens to one individual with mental illness, not a real person, but a young man who is a composite of those affected, whom we will know as James.<\/p>\n

James had the usual ups and downs in high school, but graduated successfully. \u00a0\u00a0His freshman year of college was problematic, although he was still living at home and attending a community college.\u00a0 At the start of his second year, he had to withdraw because of missed classes, failing grades, fears, irregular sleeping, and angry outbursts with family, friends, and classmates.\u00a0 He voluntarily withdrew.\u00a0 For the past year he has lived with his mother, who is increasingly worried and fearful about his future.\u00a0 Now 20, he has no medical insurance and has lost several jobs. He spends most of his days sleeping, staying alone in his room, talking to unseen people and walking the streets when he cannot sleep.\u00a0 His family suspects he is abusing alcohol and recreational drugs but is afraid to confront him about it because of his outbursts. When questioned about his substance use, he leaves home for days at a time.<\/p>\n

Twice he has been taken to emergency rooms by police.\u00a0 Admitted for a day or two, he has been given a small number of anti-psychotic pills, different drugs each time. Anti-psychotics can stabilize someone with psychosis, but they should only be used when a diagnosis is established and when the patient can be carefully monitored, particularly in the beginning.<\/p>\n

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