Feature
October
13
Author, Panel to Discuss Mental Health Care
by Terry Trahan Jr.
A community panel will meet from 6-8 p.m. Oct. 20 at the main branch of the Terrebonne Parish Library to discuss mental health, a topic that serves as the basis of a book published by author Pete Earley.
Earley, who has a background in journalism, wrote “Crazy: A Father’s Search Through America’s Mental Health Madness,” following the arrest of his son, Mike, who broke into a stranger’s home. Earley’s son suffers from bipolar disorder, but the break-in and subsequent wrecking of the home led to criminal charges, with little attention given to his son’s condition.
To better understand what happens to patients with mental conditions, Earley investigated the situation at the Miami-Dade County prison, and learned that prisons are harboring many of the nation’s citizens that suffer from mental illnesses.
The book and subject matter caught the attention of Karen Schilling, a social worker from Houma. She knew Earley’s book had been selected by the LSU School of Social Work as part of the One Book, One Community program, which encourages local groups to read a common book and discuss its themes. Schilling wanted to bring the discussion on mental health to Terrebonne Parish, so she contacted Earley and made arrangements with the library and a panel to participate in the talks.
District Judge Randy Bethancourt, Houma Police Chief Todd Duplantis and a mental health professional are expected to be among the panel’s participants. Earley will also give an hourlong presentation on his book and findings.
“Prisons are not meant to be mental institutions,” Schilling said about the issue. “You wonder how that kind of treatment exists in America.”
Local citizens have few to no places to turn to when seeking help for mental health conditions, Schilling said. Budget cuts have forced state officials to shut down many institutions funded by tax payers’ dollars. Terrebonne General Medical Center closed Bayou Oaks in 2004, and there is currently no private practice psychiatrist available to patients seeking help in Terrebonne Parish.
Instead, those with mental conditions go on without help, and many wind up spending nights behind bars. While Schilling recognizes that the local concern is not as severe as what the Miami area is facing, she has seen how these patients are treated and how the lack of medical attention has impacted their lifestyles. She hopes the panel and book review will spread awareness for the issue and inspire members of the community to come together in search of a solution that would help to combat the rising problem.
“Sometimes even the sickest people have been able to talk a doctor into thinking they are OK,” the social worker said. “We’re not trying to railroad people into hospitals. We want them to seek help.”
