In a big city, the number of untreated, severely mentally ill people is relatively small. But making sure they get the help they need feels like an enormous, intractable task.
“NYC Will Hospitalize Mentally Ill People Involuntarily” blared one headline about Mayor Adams’ new directive to fulfill what he called a “moral obligation” to forcibly bring those New Yorkers who appear severely mentally ill and unable to care for themselves into hospitals for evaluations by a doctor, usually a psychiatrist.