The Insanity Offense

(W.W. Norton)

The author examines the causes and consequences of the lack of adequate treatment for severely mentally ill patients. He looks at laws that make it difficult to commit the severely ill — many of whom end up homeless, incarcerated, violent, or victims of violent crimes — and offers ideas for better treating patients. Fuller, a research psychiatrist specializing in schizophrenia and manic-depressive illness, is the founder of the Treatment Advocacy Center in Arlington, Va.