Which state has the best services and support for the care & treatment of people with serious mental illness?

Question

I currently live in Florida and care for a 30-year-old WM roommate with serious schizoaffective disorder. His delusions, paranoia, and mania are getting worse. I moved to a smaller town, thinking that it would be more peaceful for him, but he's only withdrawing more into his fantasies/delusions about being God and being watched by computers and evil people. His psychiatrist prescribes meds that don't work (he's tried most of the atypical antipsychotics); if he gets really out of control, they tell me to call the police, but the police won't commit him unless he threatens himself or someone else in their presence, which he doesn't do -- he just makes vague statements to me about wanting to kill the families of world leaders, but hasn't confronted anyone aggressively so far. He's been committed involuntarily a few times, but the hospital will only keep him for less than 2 weeks, and then release him, even though he's still symptomatic. He has Medicare and Medicaid. He really needs to be in a place where he can receive longer-term care, but I don't think Florida is the place.

I think we'd be better off in a state where there is greater social support and places for me to turn, because trying to manage this all alone is growing increasingly difficult for me -- but he's a friend and I can't just throw him out into the street.

His family lives in Pennsylvania and aren't willing to be involved at all. He was homeless before I met him 3 and a half years ago.

Thanks for your help. I'm especially interested in hearing from people who are mental health professionals or who care for friends/family members with these types of symptoms.

Answer 1

I live in Massachusetts, which is, I heard, a state known for one of the best health care systems. Boston is a very good place.  

Answer 2

1. Davis California,

the only place that i know of with a full trained mental health task force.

full backed by u.c. Davis.

Answer 3

i dont know which state has the best treatment, because i live in canada. but, my son has schizoaffective disorder, and it takes a long time for them to get the medication right. with each medication change you have to give it several months to see if there is an improvement, and then if not, go back to the doctor, and let him change the meds. sometimes its just a matter of increasing the dosage. you realize that he may have to have ongoing medication changes for the rest of his life. this isnt something that ever goes away, its only controlled,or semi controlled forever. my son will never be normal- this is a condition that always hangs over their heads. the best you can do is be satisfied with small improvements.

Answer 4

I feel that it is great that your roommate has a friend like you.  You are part of his support network.  This really will make a difference in his life.

I am bipolar. I know it may not be as bad as your roomate's disorder.  But left untreated it can explode into some violent episodes.  It did for me.  I was blessed though to have the care and support that I needed.

I live in Nebraska.   There are excellent community support programs here.  They especially help those who are unable to obtain treatment by thier own means.  They have, however, cutback or closed some state-run treatment centers.  Mostly because of money.  But health care proffessionals and other concerned citizens have been raising quite an opposition.  They are seriously looking into ways to counteract these closures.  One way they have been doing this is through community support programs which brings the care to the people that really need it.  It has shown to be more cost effective and helps the individual to lead a more productive life in the mainstream of society.  There are also some private institutions that provide excellent care such as Catholic Charities.

Now, I will say that I have private health insurance through my wife's work place.  I feel blessed for that.  But I still am unable to work because of my problems  with thinking clearly and being able to withstand pressure.  It was hard to get but I am on SSDI and also have Medicare.  There is still, though, a lot of out-of-pocket expenses.  With no income  coming from me, it is really tight around here.  What helps is that the cost of living is a lot lower here,  especially in rural-small town areas.

My sister is also from Nebraska but now lives in Arizona.  She is glad that I am here because she says that Arizona does not offer much support for those with mental illness. Mostly, she says, it comes from lack of awareness and understanding.

I have also taken care of an Alzheimer's patient, my dad.  I did this for 5 years.  I know the stress and pressure you may be going through.  If you wish to continue in the capacity of adult caregiver, be sure to  take care  of your health as well.  I didn't.  The care that I gave to my dad was out of love and a sense of responsibility, but it worsened a condition that I alreay had.

I hope this helps.  I pray that you do hear from some proffessionals.  Have you tried doing a web search using "mental health + (state)" or "community support + (state)"?  Who knows what you may find.

One last thing:  In the mean time, to get some relief, check out to see if there are some faith-based support in your community.  These are often times available at no cost though they be somewhat limited in what they can do.  

Do you have any ties  to a church?  Maybe you or your friend are not religious but for me, my faith and trust in God really helped me get over the top of my situation.  As crazy as this may sound to some people, my counselor believes that there is a spiritual side to mental illness.  This may be the case of your friend especially since you indicated that he has delusions of being God.  

I have been a Christian all my life.  When I would get closer to doing something that  would be pleasing to God and would allow me to use my talents and gifts, I would experience stumbling blocks.  Fears and doubts.  My last episode brought me to a suicide attempt.  Martin Luther writes in his explanations in his Large Catechism that Satan does  drive men (people) to suicide.  I may have my detractors out there, but at the point that I made my attempt I really felt the struggle  between God and Satan.  Since then, my counselor has respected my deep faith and convictions and we use them to address the spiritual aspect of my menatal disorder.  I am doing a lot better with dealing with my illness.

If you want someone to talk to, I am willing to receive any emails that you may want to send.  Just contact me through the Yahoo!Answer email service.

God bless.  I will keep you and your friend in my prayers.  Go with the grace of  God.