The issue of mental health care in Washington has garnered plenty of attention already this year — if not yet any solutions.
Last week, U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman gave the state Department of Social and Health Services until May 27 to fix problems that force defendants who might need psychiatric care to spend months in jail awaiting competency evaluations and treatment. In 2014, Pechman ruled that the practice of “psychiatric boarding” — keeping defendants in emergency rooms that are ill-equipped to serve them while awaiting evaluation — was unconstitutional. Her latest decision gives the state more time for compliance, but maintains the pressure.
Meanwhile, the Legislature has responded to Gov. Jay Inslee’s call to add $137 million to mental health funding with a series of proposals. Among them is House Bill 2453, which would create a bipartisan, bicameral committee to oversee the state’s two main psychiatric facilities. While the bill appears to have little shelf life, primary sponsor Rep. Laurie Jinkins, D-Tacoma, said: “The citizens of the state deserve a mental health system that works, and it’s not working.”
That, in a nutshell, sums up Washington’s conundrum over providing for some of its most vulnerable citizens. Positive steps have been taken — including approval of two psychiatrists from Western State Hospital near Tacoma being assigned to the Clark County Jail to facilitate evaluations — but much work remains. And the problem is that the issue shows no sign of diminishing.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recently issued a report that calls for changes in how the nation addresses mental health and mental illness. Among the most urgent recommendations is that all American adults should be routinely screened for depression. The Washington Post reported on “the devastating toll mental illness is taking around the world. Researchers have noted a surge in diagnoses in recent years related to the stress of modern life and fears of terrorism, violence and poverty.”
The task force report says that an estimated $22.8 billion was spent on depression treatment in 2009, and lost productivity cost an estimated $23 billion in 2013. “Depression has a major effect on quality of life for the patient and affects family members, especially children,” according to the report.
Washington is not immune to that growing trend. While some might suggest that this represents another attempt to coddle the populace, it is difficult to argue that the stresses of modern life are not taking a toll on our health. As Inslee said in proposing increased spending on the issue: “We know we have to do more for mental health in this state. We have urgent short-term needs, but we also need to take a long view on how to build a stronger mental health system.”
Or, as The Columbian has noted editorially: “Inadequate mental health care is not only a moral failing, it also leads to increased expenditures for homeless services, corrections and the court system.”
With the state facing court orders regarding care for criminal defendants — along with federal scrutiny regarding the operation of Western State Hospital — now is the time for some fixes to be carved out. The bright spotlight can illuminate the darkest corners of a system in need of assistance.
Now is the time for lawmakers to provide help for the state’s mental health system. Merely putting a Band-Aid on it won’t be sufficient.
