Conservatorship: Inside California’s System of Coercion and Care for Mental Illness

Name: Conservatorship: Inside California’s System of Coercion and Care for Mental Illness
Price: 35.00 USD
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5.0 of 5 Stars: Health & Medical Law - Conservatorship: Inside California’s System of Coercion and Care for Mental Illness

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Book Synopsis: Is involuntary psychiatric treatment the solution to the intertwined crises of untreated mental illness, homelessness, and addiction? In recent years, politicians and advocates have sought to expand the use of conservatorships, a legal tool used to force someone deemed “gravely disabled,” or unable to meet their needs for food, clothing, or shelter as a result of mental illness, to take medication and be placed in a locked facility. At the same time, civil liberties and disability rights groups have seized on cases like that of Britney Spears to argue that conservatorships are inherently abusive.

Conservatorship is an incisive and compelling portrait of the functioning—and failings—of California’s conservatorship system. Drawing on hundreds of interviews with professionals, policy makers, families, and conservatees, Alex V. Barnard takes readers to the streets where police encounter homeless people in crisis, the locked wards where people receiving treatment are confined, and the courtrooms where judges decide on conservatorship petitions. As he shows, California’s state government has abdicated authority over this system, leaving the question of who receives compassionate care and who faces coercion dependent on the financial incentives of for-profit facilities, the constraints of underresourced clinicians, and the desperate struggles of families to obtain treatment for their loved ones.

This book offers a timely warning: reforms to expand conservatorship will lead to more coercion but little transformative care until government assumes accountability for ensuring the health and dignity of its most vulnerable citizens.

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Are you concerned about the intertwined crises of untreated mental illness, homelessness, and addiction? Look no further than Conservatorship: Inside California’s System of Coercion and Care for Mental Illness. This incisive and compelling book takes a deep dive into the controversial use of conservatorships as a solution to these pressing issues. With hundreds of interviews with professionals, policymakers, families, and conservatees, author Alex V. Barnard sheds light on the functioning―and failings―of California’s conservatorship system.

As politicians and advocates seek to expand the use of conservatorships, it's crucial to understand the consequences. Conservatorship explores the experiences of those affected, from the encounter with police on the streets to the confinement in locked wards for treatment. It reveals how the question of compassionate care versus coercion is dependent on financial incentives, the limitations of underresourced clinicians, and the desperate struggles of families.

What sets Conservatorship apart is its timely warning. While reforms may aim to expand conservatorship, this book urges caution due to the potential for increased coercion without true transformative care. It argues that government accountability is essential in ensuring the health and dignity of our most vulnerable citizens. Don't miss this thought-provoking read that dives deep into the heart of a complex issue.

Ready to explore the hidden truths behind conservatorships and the challenges faced by individuals with mental illness? Get your copy of Conservatorship today, and join the conversation on how we can create a more compassionate and effective system of care.

Get your copy of Conservatorship now!

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