TAC is pleased to announce a new blog post in our Research Briefly series, a periodic blog focused on timely research and pertinent information surrounding severe mental illness (SMI), with “Unsafe? Yes, but only if untreated: Violence and SMI” by TAC's chief scientific officer and renowned clinical psychologist Dr. Xavier Amador.
I woke up searching frantically for my glasses on the nightstand — knocking over a glass of water before touching the wire rims. Pulling them on, I saw it was 4 a.m. I was in a cold sweat and my heart was pounding. My brother, Henry, was pacing in the hallway, shouting at the voices only he could hear. The thought of talking with him never entered my mind — I had been up late trying to convince him he needed to go back on the medicine, but all I had accomplished was to further agitate him. Listening to his side of a heated argument, I imagined him bursting through the door with a knife in his hand. I swung my legs over the bed and walked to the door with my head hung low in shame and weariness
and locked it.
My research and my book, “I am Not Sick, I Don’t Need Help!” are frequently cited by advocates who promote assisted outpatient treatment (AOT) and by advocates who oppose involuntary treatments on the grounds they would not be needed if adequate outpatient treatments were available. I can see the wisdom in both sides of the debate.
P.S. If you haven't yet watched our March episode of SMI Spotlight, you are missing our first "Ask Dr. Amador" session, featuring questions submitted by listeners like you! Check it out today on Youtube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts, and be sure to rate and review! Stay tuned and follow our social media below for an announcement on next month's
episode!
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