Isn’t the real problem that there aren’t enough services?
OT seeks to help those individuals whose illness has rendered them incapable of understanding that they are ill. For this small subset of the most mentally ill, no amount of money spent on services will ever be enough to induce their compliance with treatment. These individuals suffer from a condition known as anosognosia – literally “to not know a disease.” Studies show approximately 50 percent of individuals with schizophrenia and 40 percent of individuals with bipolar disorder have some impaired ability to recognize their condition. For these individuals, the delusions (e.g. the woman across the street really is being paid by the CIA to spy on him/her) and the hallucinations (e.g. the voices really are instructions being sent by the President) are real – and no amount of voluntary services will suffice.
