ADDICTS, MENTALLY ILL BOTH DESERVE HELP

I must respond to the article "Nowhere else to send addicts" Aug. 24.
The writer and the psychiatrist quoted both reveal a negative bias
toward persons with addictions, whether that was their intention or
not. The writer's opening sentence is particularly revealing: "Strung
out on cocaine or crystal meth, they pile up in the comfortable
waiting room chairs." Would it be more acceptable if the chairs were
not comfortable? I think statements like this indicate an
"us-versus-them" mentality, those that are worthy of the help they
seek and those that are not.

I also find it troubling that psychiatrists feel they aren't
qualified to deal with these patients' addictions. My understanding
is that addiction is a recognized psychiatric diagnosis. Statistics
suggest that approximately 80 per cent of people with mental illness
have some kind of co-occurring addiction.There is no "us." There is
no "them." There are only people needing help.

Lillian Ramsden,

Comox.