To the editor:

A patient of mine (actually a composite of stories of several patients) recently had an exacerbation of a psychiatric illness that usually is under good control. She usually leads a happy life with a family she loves and a job she enjoys. Some unexpected stresses upset the balance, and she needed short term voluntary hospitalization. This is not available in Lawrence. The psychiatric unit at Stormont-Vail in Topeka was full, as were units in Kansas City. She ended up in Newton, where she received the care she needed, but going to this distant facility was a hardship for her and her family.

Sometimes people need to retreat from their world for a bit. People in a psychiatric crisis may need a few nights of decent sleep. They may need compassionate but also skilled and objective staff to help sort out what is happening and what they can do about it. They may need to get back on previously helpful medication or to reassess the medication they are taking. And, yes, they may need protection from themselves, usually for a brief time of crisis.

In a few months we will have the opportunity to vote to create a mental health crisis center in Lawrence, available to all citizens of Douglas County, that would provide much of what could be done at much greater cost in a hospital. It could be of great value to any of our families, our friends or us. Please vote for more comprehensive mental health care.

Joe Douglas, M.D,

Lawrence