Insanity and the criminal mind.

what is insanity? What is the difference between being insane and being competent to stand trial? In your opinion what do you think the rights of mental patients should be in regards to care and treatment? Do you think they should be able to refuse treatment (therapy, medications, etc)? Why or why not?

Originally posted by RobFox
what is insanity? What is the difference between being insane and being competent to stand trial? In your opinion what do you think the rights of mental patients should be in regards to care and treatment? Do you think they should be able to refuse treatment (therapy, medications, etc)? Why or why not?

In the case of criminal insanity: if said criminal is so mentally ill that he in actuality does not know that what he did was wrong at the time of committing the crime then the criminal is legally eligible to use the defense of insanity. If the criminal is somewhat mentally ill but is still able to distinguish that what he did was wrong and/or punishable by law at the time of the crime then he is not eligible to use the insanity defense. In case of a plea of temporary insanity the person may be committed to mental care until such a time as he has recovered enough to participate in his own defense and be able to testify to his mental condition at the time of the crime.

In my opinion if one has committed serious crime due to mental illness that person should be treated whether they agree to it or not as they pose a danger to the public. If a mentally ill person is a danger to himself or others they should receive adequate treatment in order for them to be reintegrated into society. If suffering from a milder form of mental illness which poses no danger to self or others and no crime has been committed then by all means treatment should not be forced upon them.

Originally posted by RobFox
what is insanity? What is the difference between being insane and being competent to stand trial? In your opinion what do you think the rights of mental patients should be in regards to care and treatment? Do you think they should be able to refuse treatment (therapy, medications, etc)? Why or why not?

In my opinion, insanity is a belief beyond doubt in anything which is not true. This could be as simple as thinking a person being cured of an ailment was a miracle of God rather than simply the medical help they received, or on the other hand, as extreme as a paranoid schizophrenic with delusions and hallucinations who is unable to function in society.
The difference between being insane and being competent to stand trial is a tough question. If the person fully believed they were doing the "correct" thing, for example that God told them to kill people and they believed it was legitimate, then I think they should not be charged as a normal person. If they are incapable of living a "normal" life due to their impairment, I think that should also be a major factor. The problem is understanding the level at which a person is afflicted by such things... Anyone can claim insanity, but the burden lies in proving it.

As for their rights, I believe mental patients should have the right to refuse any and all PHYSICAL treatment; this mainly includes medication. However, if they have been convicted of a serious crime, they should be placed into a care facility until they either decide to get the help they need or somehow improve their condition, with or without medication.

I'm very much against the idea of forcing medication on people. When I was little, I was basically used as a human guinea pig by this one psychiatrist who "diagnosed" me with something I did not have and put me on all these different medications, none of which did anything positive. Relatively recently, due to an issue with constant tiredness/fatigue, I had at one point asked to be put on a particular antidepressant which was known to alleviate such things. What followed was me having what I'll just say was an extremely unpleasant experience. I ended up having to go to the hospital, where I was put in an observation room and essentially passed out for a few hours. Medication is not for everyone.