The West’s fixation on therapy culture and ambiguous mental-health goals such as “wellness” often fails to address the needs of individuals with the most severe mental illnesses.
These conditions — which are associated with criminal behavior, chronic unemployment, and fractured relationships — demand urgent attention.
While reforms to expand residential treatment and comprehensive care are essential, what if a cost-effective solution could complement these interventions, stabilizing those at the highest risk of harming themselves or others?
Consider the story of Matt Baszucki.
In 2016, as a freshman at the University of California, Berkeley, he began displaying signs of psychosis.
By March, he’d spent two weeks in a psychiatric ward, diagnosed with bipolar disorder and prescribed medication.
Despite multiple treatments, his condition was deemed “treatment-resistant,” and no pharmaceutical combination could keep him stable or out of the hospital.