In our view: We owe the mentally ill proper care, support

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We take care of our children.

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We take care of our elderly.

If the recent outcry over lax animal laws is any indication, we certainly cherish our pets and want the best for them.

But there is a segment of the population that we don't do such a good job at taking care of - the mentally ill.

For centuries, the prevailing thought was to lock them away in institutions. Whether it was for their care or just so the rest of us didn't have to think about them, the result was the mentally ill were the people we didn't talk about, didn't know about, didn't see and didn't much care about unless one of them was someone dear to us.

Fortunately, that line of thinking has begun to change.

Unfortunately, progress still has a long way to go.

This week Judge Mike McKee submitted 80 recommendations to the provincial government on how we can better serve this marginalized population. He's been gathering information and stories since last May as part of a task force reviewing mental health services.

Health Minister Mike Murphy's response could be described as both guarded and encouraging. He promised the document wouldn't gather dust, but he would only commit to reviewing the report and releasing a governmental response later.

That's a typical ministerial reaction - no meat, no commitment, but no closing of doors either. Fair enough. He has to talk to his staff and with cabinet to decide what to do with this long to-do list.

But McKee, a former MLA, knows the drill, and has pre-empted some of the "we just can't afford it" excuses that might come by suggesting some changes that can be implemented easily and cheaply.

So then, there is no reason not to jump right in and make some of those changes. We encourage Murphy to do that.

McKee heard a lot of sad stories during his research, and by all accounts, there was no shortage of them.

The lack of openness about mental illness continues to some degree today, which only perpetuates the problem. We would have no trouble admitting to having the flu, but would we describe the cause of a day away from work as depression? Probably not, because we couldn't be sure of the reaction.

If we can't even deal with depression as a valid illness, how are we at dealing with more weighty diagnoses like schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder and bipolar disorder? Not good.

McKee suggested three key strategies to help: early intervention, income support and a more appropriate legal response when crimes are committed.

More mental health courts, like the one in Saint John, would focus on treatment, not incarceration. Income support would help with independent living and a consistent supply of prescribed medication.

Finally, early intervention would treat problems before they become crimes and suicides.

If you have any reservations about investing tax money to aid the mentally ill, ask yourself these questions: what year is this, and how far have we come?