Jonathan Stanley, acting executive director of the national Treatment Advocacy Center said, "This measure opens far wider the door to needed treatment for a small group of people who are extremely ill."
He goes on to say, "Illinois' law has gone from one virtually mandating non-treatment of those lost to severe mental illnesses to one that can and will save lives. Illinois has joined the national trend toward making mental illness treatment laws more rational and humane."
This standard will make it easier to use assisted outpatient treatment (AOT) in Illinois. AOT has been shown to reduce rates of hospitalization, homelessness, arrests, and incarceration, saving both lives and money.
Senator Dale Righter, calls the passing of the new law monumental for mental health, "The current criteria make it very difficult and sometimes impossible for individuals suffering from mental illness to get the help they need. In many instances, people stop taking necessary medications, and as a result, fail to realize they need those medications, or even that they suffer from an illness. In these situations, a brief involuntary commitment is the only way to ensure someone with a mental illness returns to their medications and ceases to become a danger to themselves or others."
"The new law has one goal," agreed Lora Thomas, the executive director of NAMI Illinois. "It offers the hope of getting a loved one with mental illness into treatment. Illinois can no longer retain the right for people to remain dangerously ill."
