The veto of Proviso 21.26 jeopardizes the treatment and lives of those with mental illness.

For many people living with a mental illness, the successful management of their disease depends on unrestricted access to the kinds of medication and treatment they need. Patients rely on the expertise of their health care provider to provide the best plan of care that will significantly reduce their symptoms and improve quality of life. South Carolina cannot afford to have a “one size fits all” mentality when it comes to psychiatric medications. Medications targeting mental illness are usually not interchangeable, and each individual reacts differently to medications. It is up to the physician and patient to agree on the best treatment method.

Allowing open access to all mental health medications prevents the very high costs associated with patient failure, destabilization and decomposition — which is not a temporary setback. Each downward spiral results in an irrecoverable loss of functioning and stability. People with serious mental illness who are not stabilized on the appropriate medication often require services in crises centers and hospital emergency rooms and often become an expensive burden for law enforcement, the courts and jails.

Consumers of mental health services can and do recover. For individuals and family members who feel they need support coping with their own mental illness or the illness of a loved one, NAMI South Carolina is an organization that exists to help. For additional information or support group schedules, contact NAMI South Carolina at (800) 788-5131 or visit www.namisc.org.

— Bill Lindsey, Executive Director, National Alliance on Mental Illness, South Carolina (NAMI SC)

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