CBS Los Angeles “ Sister of woman living on the streets with mental illness says law prevents her from taking action ”

Summary

Alisha Lessenger was extremely brilliant. In 2012 she was an inspirational speaker for college students. But that changed and she now talks to herself in her car and in public settings.  She was arrested multiple times for the past seven years and has been in and out of jail and mental health facilities since her mothers death. California state law requires someone to be in “ immediate danger to themselves and others “ in order to be committed without their consent. Michael Reno, the president and CEO of the midnight mission says that the law is designed to protect us from someone that is dangerous by putting them away but not designed to really get the help and assistance needed for those with mental health disorders. Alisha’s sister drives the Streets looking for her and when she finds her , she calls someone to go get her and take her for treatment but no one has picked up the call to help Alisha. Alisha will go to court and the judge will decide whether she is mentally stable to stand the trial. 

Analyze 

When someone’s mental health is really poor people expect them to seek help but the thing is that they don’t realize how deeply they’re suffering with mental illness themselves. California state law doesn’t actually help those with mental health disorders to detach themselves from this illness and that’s an issue. The law states that they had to be an immediate danger to themselves and others around them but that’s the thing at that point they’ve already drowned in their mental illness and instead of actually helping homelessness with mental illness when they get arrested multiple they are expected to go to trial but the thing is that they don’t need to go to trial they need to be in a mental health facility.