| Show When and whom to commit In Virgina Virgin a Tech's bloody wake a rethinking of standards The following editorial appeared in Sundays Sunday's Washington ashington Post The bloodbath at Virginia Tech has inaugurated a season of soul-searching soul and policy review by mental health officials university administrators and lawm lawmakers kers among others In examining how so devastating a tragedy might have been avoided or ora ora ora a similar one averted in the future they are delving into a range of tough questions many of which s seek ek to strike the right balance between public safety and the protections of privacy and individual liberty Republicans in the Virginia General Assembly have unveiled what appears to tobe tobe tobe be a sensible plan to begin tightening the system Virginia currently requires that authorities determine that an individual poses an imminent danger b to self or others or be unable to care for himself before they can order involuntary detention That high hurdle once embraced by bya a majority of states has kept many unstable and dangerous people from receiving the care they need In the Seung eung Hui Cho the Virginia Tech gunman officials who examined him in late 2005 after he had made madea a suicide threat could not agree whether he met the standard Ultimately a special justice decided that outpatient treatment was adequate for Mr Cho who then never received it The Republican proposal wAlong with that fundamental reform GOP lawmakers are proposing two other sensible changes One would require a representative of the local Community Services Board in effect the states state's case officer for mentally ill individuals to attend all client commitment hearings That would provide a measure of accountability and continuity that went missing in the case of Mr Cho whose board representative urged involuntary detention but was not present at his commitment hearing A separate reform would expand the number of psychiatric emergency rooms known as crisis stabilization units around the state All of these initiatives will cost money particularly the adoption of a new standard for involuntary commitment which would result in more inpatient stays Traditionally many Virginia Republicans have balked at incurring new expenses for social services But as Mr Chos Cho's rampage so grimly demonstrated the price of inadequate treatment is unacceptable a |
