It is rare that I am moved enough by local events to feel the strong desire to write to the editor in hopes of writing to the general public. Recently, however, I have been following some of the reporting in The Charlotte Observer concerning statewide mental-health reform and efforts to audit providers.
As far as I can tell, the actions about to be undertaken by the state (reported in the Sunday, Feb. 11 Observer [www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/news/16674226.htm] provide ample evidence that the people making the decisions ([Mike] Mosely, [Carmen Hooker] Odom et al) are suffering from symptoms similar in nature to those people that the system serves (irrational thought, blaming others, paranoia, grandiosity, poor reality testing).
Basically, the state authorities who enacted misguided mental-health reform are blaming the providers for using the system that the state authorities set up.
Generally when people are having difficulties in their lives, they tend to look outside themselves for the “others” that are causing their problems. Only when people (and agencies) see how their own behaviors are affecting them is real change able to be effected. For all the fingers pointing at small provider agencies, there are four times as many fingers pointing back at the state authorities that brought us to this point.
Hopefully some day soon, real, genuine, helpful mental-health reform will take place. In a perfect world, it would be led by the people and not some out-of-touch aristocrat.
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