Sanity Squad podcast on involuntary commitment

In a worthwhile companion piece to last week's podcast, this week's Sanity Squad podcast explores the complications of involuntarily committing someone into a mental health facility. Obviously Cho Seung-hui, the Virginia Tech killer, left all kinds of warning signs that he had serious mental health problems--and he was briefly committed to a mental hospital.

But as the four Sanity Squad panelists point out, forcing someone into a mental health facility--except in the most egregious situations--is difficult, and keeping that person there is equally challenging. Patients or their families can hire lawyers, or the mentally ill person can "act cured."

The podcast will make you think, but there are no easy answers to what to do with people like Cho. Whereas in my opinion, a hapless soul such as the paranoid character in John Prine's song Illegal Smile can be straightened out with a little medication--and if he stops taking it, then he just moves back into his closet along with his thoughts.

Neo-Neocon, Shrinkwrapped, Siggy and Dr. Sanity make up the Sanity Squad.

Listen or download the podcast here. Or you can subcsribe for free at the iTunes site.

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