Accused of forging his identity and living in the United States illegally, Mark Lyttle was driven across the Texas border and dumped in Mexico. The North Carolina native, who didn’t even speak Spanish, tried repeatedly to prove his citizenship… yet no one followed up on his story. Having been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and a learning disability, it is likely his attempts to advocate for himself were brushed off and misunderstood by the courts and officials who “processed” him.

While facing deportation is a difficult and lengthy process, those with Mental illnesses facing the system have an increased amount of barriers. Psychosis, delusions, low frustration tolerance, and other mental health symptoms can easily stand in the way of a person appropriately (or even clearly) expressing his or her case.

The Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union are urging authorities to provide needed services to those detained persons with mental illnesses– services that address the lack of appointed counsel, inflexible detention policies, inadequately coordinated services, and insufficient guidance for judges on handling people with mental disabilities.

At least 15% of the 392,000 cases processed by the US Immigration Courts involved persons with various mental illnesses. Check out this article (which inspired this blog post) that highlights the problems that have thus-far been encountered.

This article got me thinking about the multiple institutions that aren’t adequately prepared to provide services to persons with mental illnesses. One of my clients right now is trying to appeal a loan on her record that went to collections– she claims she has no idea why she is being billed for this loan. Based off my interactions with her, I don’t doubt she was conned into applying for a loan and then out of her money. It’s happened before. But her mental illness makes it so difficult for her to coherently string two phrases together, let alone plead her case to any sort of credit official. I wouldn’t be surprised she she ends up lost in the system with a mounting debt that she never can clear.

These are just two systems that are difficult to navigate. What about the systems that you and I encounter daily? Will many managers be willing to rent to potential tenants who, out of their high anxiety, continuously call and plead for apartments? Will employers jump at the opportunity to hire someone who can’t manage to keep a job due to his bouts of depression which confine him to home for weeks at a time? Will any teachers stand for a student experiencing active psychosis in the classroom? How, then, are we to accommodate persons who need an extra hand in finding housing, employment, and education– 3 factors which undeniably contribute to one’s quality of life?

…Perhaps an appropriate question for the week we celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act?

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Filed under: Mental Health Tagged: ADA, advocacy, Americans with Disabilities Act, immigration, Mark Lyttle, Mental Health, mental illness, news, quality of life, representation, systems