As I’ve stated in another post, I’ve been through this with three relatives. Fortunately, in our cases, no one got hurt.
Somehow families and friends need more power to force a mentally-ill person into evaluation and treatment. I have no answers, but plenty of frustration.
In the case of a first-time offender, as both Holmes and Loughner were, I don’t know how we can ever act pre-emptively. One thing we can do with those who are judged a danger and locked up temporarily is to require continual follow-up and medication and arrest anyone who does not stay in compliance.
As it is now, a demonstrably ill patient can be forced into confinement and treatment, but only until he is again mentally competent. That is often just days or, at the most, weeks. Then he’s set free without compulsory supervision, and he goes off his meds in a short time.
And it starts all over again.
Oh, yeah. Been there. And yet how do you structure it so it wouldn't be routinely abused? I wish I had an answer on this one, and I do not. BTT.