Advocates for forced psychiatric treatment are using the death of Kelly Thomas, a homeless man with schizophrenia, as a rationale for Orange County to implement Laura’s Law.

This law is a controversial, costly measure that has not proven effective and would undermine the human rights of those labeled mentally ill. Mr. Thomas’ death following a beating by Fullerton police is heartbreaking, but Laura’s Law would not have prevented it.

Laura’s Law expands forced treatment by allowing people with a history of hospitalization or suicide attempts to be placed under court-ordered treatment, even though they are not presently a danger to themselves or others. those who fail to comply can be detained by police and hospitalized against their will, thereby increasing the possibility of more tragic incidents.

At the same time, Laura’s Law does nothing to stem violence against those with psychiatric disabilities or the homeless nor does it provide police training in crisis intervention that might have saved Thomas’s life. it also fails to address a root cause of homelessness – lack of affordable housing for those who must meet all their living expenses on $830 in monthly disability benefits.

Forced psychiatric treatment – including the use of forced medication, is often counterproductive: renewing trauma and steering people away from the mental health system altogether.

Moreover, many psychiatric medications have a long list of toxic, even life-threatening side effects. Research indicates that although medications may reduce symptoms in the short-term, long-term recovery rates from serious psychiatric disability are higher for un-medicated patients than for those maintained on psychiatric medications.

Thus, many people have rational reasons for deciding against using or staying on these medications.

One of the authors of this piece, who has 16 years of experience as a person diagnosed with severe mental illness, ended up in the emergency room twice because of debilitating side effects from psychiatric medications. she found medication ineffective; however, the individual psychotherapy she receives is alleviating her symptoms and helping her recover.

Currently, the law allows people who are a danger to themselves or others or gravely disabled to be involuntarily treated. Laura’s Law potentially subjects any person with a significant mental health history to involuntary treatment, greatly expanding the number of people deprived of their rights without any clear gain to them or society.

Fortunately, there is no need for such extreme measures. Evidence shows that the expansion of voluntary mental health treatment builds trust and is the most effective approach to recovery from mental illness.

Orange County already offers full service partnerships (FSPs), a highly successful approach to voluntary mental health treatment that includes community based recovery services, housing, 24-7 emergency response, and family and peer support. FSPs have reduced hospitalization rates by 50 percent, incarceration rates by 88 percent and homelessness by 70 percent. however, fewer than 600 people are currently served by FSPs in the county, while the number of people who would take advantage of these services if available is likely to be many times that number.

The FSPs are effective because they address critical needs of people with serious psychiatric disabilities who become homeless. We believe expansion of these programs in Orange County, combined with improved training for law enforcement staff in responding to people in crisis would be a successful twin-track approach.

Laura’s Law is costly to implement, burdens our courts, and is unlikely to make a positive difference in anyone’s life. in California’s economic climate, scarce public dollars are far better spent expanding proven voluntary programs and crisis intervention training. Ann Menasche is a staff attorney in the San Diego Office of Disability Rights California, which is currently investigating the death of Kelly Thomas. Charmaine Mahealani Asher is a member of the California Network of Mental Health Clients.

Should I Take a Pregnancy Test Information

The possibility of becoming pregnant has some typical clues that you simply should read. how quickly can I take a pregnancy test? Right after reading these traditional clues you may discover that you simply really feel you’re able to take the test. The test really is what determines if you are pregnant or not. it is not unusual for a lady to suspect that you’re pregnant even before you miss your initial period. You may have some suspicions in that area but you know that taking the test to quickly won’t verify if you’re pregnant. how quickly can I take a pregnancy test? I understand that becoming a brand new mommy you’ve many questions about the test and when to take it.

One of the extremely initial signs that you simply might be pregnant is your breasts may be tender and even swollen. they may really feel fuller and heavier or tingly and sore. The rationale obviously is a rise of hormones estrogen and progesterone. it is not unusual to get a initial time pregnancy that your breasts turn out to be dramatically changed. Moms to be discover themselves extremely fatigue completely wiped out. your body is operating tough throughout the initial week of one’s pregnancy pumping out hormones and producing more blood to hold to your child. your heart will pump harder and faster to accommodate this increased blood flow. Progesterone is a organic central nervous system depressant, so higher levels of this hormone may make you sleepy. You’ll also possess a array of feelings during this time that sap your power and disturb your sleep. With all this heading on inside a woman’s physique it’s not unusual to ask herself this question. how quickly can I take a pregnancy test?

A woman may encounter a small amount of spotting or bleeding throughout the early days of pregnancy. Usually about ten to 14 days after fertilization the bleeding may begin. this is referred to as implantation bleeding, it occurs once the fertilized egg initial attaches by itself to the lining from the uterus. it is noted that many women suffer cramping comparable to when she did during her period. The time component becoming so quickly and the reality that not sufficient time has passed because the last period deters the prospect of taking the pregnancy test till at least a month has gone by. whenever you get to the stage that you simply really feel nausea with or without vomiting then you possess a greater sense of one’s pregnancy as this can be a sign of morning illness. even though this is known as morning illness it can happen any time from the day. You begin to realize that certain foods make you nausea.

Just the scent of food can turn your abdomen. Then you say to your self something is happening and I have to know. perhaps this time you might also voice your concerns with your mate or a family member asking them the question that you simply all alongside have known. how quickly can I take the pregnancy test?

The questions for you that your spouse or buddy may ask are things you notice which are happening to you. perhaps they also have noticed the difference inside your temper and other things about you which have changed. You cry over the best things, complications all the time, faintness and dizziness are sometimes felt by you. All of these signs are symptoms that you simply are probably pregnant. 1 important thing to note is the fact that these signs and symptoms aren’t always signs of pregnancy. it may point out that you simply are obtaining sick or that your period is about to begin. You could be pregnant without actually encountering any of these symptoms. so you’re nonetheless within the dilemma of asking the same question. how quickly can I take the pregnancy test?

How quickly can I take the pregnancy test? The very first question is which test are you currently heading to make use of? May we recommend that you simply use the EPT Test as this is the one which you can get great outcomes from extremely quickly. The EPT Test is safe and perhaps used in your own home. it provides highly accurate outcomes and it is recommended to take the test within the morning. The pregnancy test should be taken after your initial period. We do hope this has answered your question. how quickly can I take the pregnancy test?

Learn more about faint line on pregnancy test and late period negative pregnancy test here..

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Updated Wednesday, December 01, 2010 7:57 PM Prostate cancer: A silent danger

When a blood test turned up a moderately-high PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) level, Don Riedl made an appointment with a urologist. when the doctor told him to return in a year for another test, Riedl essentially blew it off.

“I was an ignorant male, thinking nothing would ever be wrong with me,” said Riedl, now a 10-year survivor of prostate cancer. Measuring the amount of PSA, a protein produced in the prostate, is currently the best method to detect prostate cancer. when the prostate is healthy, the protein remains in the organ, said Dr. Steve Johnson, a local urologist.

Johnson said a response like Riedl’s is common. “People have the rationale if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it,” he said. “If they’re not having problems, don’t go to the doctor.”

Two years after Riedl’s first visit, a second PSA test came back with even higher levels. Riedl’s urologist worked to eliminate other possible causes and eventually ordered a biopsy.

The results came back and Riedl had prostate cancer. There were no symptoms; there rarely are with prostate cancer. “If you wait until you have symptoms, you’re very unlikely to be curable,” Johnson said.

That’s why testing is so important. Men should begin yearly prostate screenings at 40.

In his 50s, Riedl had never had a prostate screening. Luckily, the cancer was not aggressive, which is common for prostate cancer. Still prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States, and one in six men will be diagnosed with it during their lives, according to us TOO International, a prostate cancer education and support network.

Johnson said the high mortality, in large part, is likely because men don’t understand there are rarely symptoms with prostate cancer and don’t get tested. “Men are just reluctant to go to the doctor if they’re not sick,” he said.

For those like Johnson who are diagnosed with the disease early, they’re faced with three treatment choices. Johnson said the choices are surgery, radiation or cryoablation — using extremely cold tubes to kill cancerous tissue. the outcomes are essentially the same, Johnson said. for patients with advanced or recurrent cancer, the choices of hormone therapy or chemotherapy offer less promising outcomes.

For Riedl, the final decision was surgery. he said he wanted the assurance that comes with physically removing the cancerous tissue. the potential side effects he faced were erectile dysfunction and incontinence.

Johnson said incontinence is something that’s rare, but erectile dysfunction is more common. However, Johnson said, when patients are facing prostate cancer the focus first must be on treatment. after successful cancer treatment there are a number of treatments for erectile dysfunction.

“The most important influence on outcome is a positive mental outcome,” he said. Patients that tackle the cancer head on do best. “They handle treatment well,” Johnson said. “They don’t let the cancer dictate their future — they deal with it just like they would any other stresser in life.”

Patients who focus on quality nutrition also tend to do better in treatment, Johnson said. Overall wellness also has some effect — though unmeasurable — on prevention.

Increased body fat or obesity is a risk factor, Johnson said. “One of the things we’re challenged with in the Western Hemisphere is our diet,” he said. “We tend to eat a very fat-rich diet.”

Now 10 years after his bout with the disease, Reidl has taken the importance of nutrition to heart. though he began exercising regularly before he was diagnosed, Reidl has focused more on regular exercise and resistance training.

“It’s becoming more and more obvious that general health is pretty important,” Reidl said after returning from a recent conference on prostate cancer. “I don’t know why it’s taken this long for people to understand that.”

Besides just a greater focus on early detection and good health, Johnson said the future of medical science seems promising for prostate cancer patients. Research is examining how to decide what patients have prostate cancer that will respond to treatment and what patients have cancer that even requires treatment.

In some case, Johnson said, the cancer is so non-aggressive that a patient would do fine without treatment. In others, the cancer is so aggressive that treatment will be ineffective.

Johnson said as understanding of the disease advances, doctors are moving toward “active surveillance.” if a patient’s case doesn’t have indicators that it is aggressive, the doctor may recommend simply monitoring the disease with regular screenings. at the time, if ever, that the disease does appear to be becoming more aggressive the doctor and patient will move toward one of the traditional treatments.

Johnson said the approach has two advantages. for some patients, they may discover they never need treatment. for those that do, they’ve enjoyed a “honeymoon period” from treatment, and, based on current science, the treatment is equally as effective as it would have been initially.

Outside the doctors office, patients are also seeing increased availability of support groups for survivors and patients.

In Texoma, patients and survivors like Riedl, who is an active member of the group, can find support in the local us TOO chapter. Johnson called it a strong group where many of the long-time members “know almost as much about the disease as doctors.”

“It just very valuable as a patient to be able to relate to other patients that have had cancer,” Johnson said.

For more information about the local us TOO group visit ustoo-texoma.org or contact Managing Director Jerry Bylander at 903-893-6437 or .