Massachusetts weighs letting judges order mental health care
Massachusetts lawmakers are considering a bill that would give judges the authority to order adults with a severe mental illness into mandatory outpatient care, after being released from a health care facility
BOSTON (AP) — When Ashoke and Vinita Rampuria’s son returned home after taking a year off from college, to complete his course work, he didn’t seem like himself.
“He was unable to complete tasks. He was lying on the sofa,” said Ashoke Rampuria, a resident of Acton, Massachusetts. “He took some jobs, but could not hold them.”
In 2011, his son was diagnosed with what Rampuria described as a severe mental illness. He soon began cycling in and out of health care facilities, appearing to get his illness under control and then slipping back once released. In 2021, the couple said their son used a new medication and was able to hold a job for three months, but did not continue on the drug.
All along, Rampuria said he and his wife lacked a crucial tool – the power of a judge to order their now 36-year-old son, currently at a psychiatric hospital in Lynn, Massachusetts, into mandatory outpatient care.
