According to The Natural Medicine Guide to Depression, “1 in 4 women, 1 in 8 men, 1 in 8 adolescents, 1 in 33 children, and 1 in 6 people over 65, will experience clinical depression.

When a person is placed on an anti-depressant, there is a high risk of suicide or homicide. How many people have to die before people realize that drugs are not the answer?

If a mentally ill person is becoming unbalanced, help cannot be gotten unless they are in danger of physically harming themselves or others. That means families have to wait until their loved one is ready to attempt suicide or hurt someone else before they can receive help.

When a person is involuntarily admitted into a psychiatric unit, they and the family have no rights. A murderer has rights, but not the mentally ill or their family. Unless the mentally ill person signs a release form, family members are not allowed any information and are not allowed to visit.

Mental illness is heartbreaking for families, and present policies keep families from being more involved. It is not surprising that many mentally ill die in institutions with no family there.

Mental illness needs to be addressed on a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual level. The present treatment is limited. Numerous options are available for those who desire a more healthy, humane approach. No institutional setting is ever better for the mentally ill than to be with the families who love them.

Laurianne Anctil, Lewiston