SPOTLIGHT: '08 may see changes in state mental health laws


Though they can hospitalize acutely ill patients, few states have the authority to demand that patients receive routine mental health treatment. However, that's changing, as it's becoming clear that forced treatment can be helpful. Now, many states are looking to follow the lead of New York, whose Kendra's Law gives doctors, social workers and relatives more options. This has become a particularly hot issue in Virginia, since a mentally-ill gunman (who had refused outpatient treatment) shot 32 students and teachers at Virginia Tech before killing himself. Article