Maria Sanchez, her husband, and their three children had lived in their apartment building for about 2 years when they noticed a new person moving in on the floor below them. New families moved in from time to time, but this person didn't have a family and kept to herself. After asking around, Maria learned from a neighbor downstairs that the new person's name was Lynn and that she was not currently employed but hoped to find work soon, perhaps as a cashier or a custodian. Maria is annoyed that Lynn keeps her television on late into the night. She has been meaning to say something about it, but so far Lynn keeps to herself and Maria hasn't found her very friendly--Lynn tends to look away without saying anything when Maria passes her in the hallway. Maria also learned that Lynn was recovering from a recent bout of mental illness and that she was anxious about the demands of living independently once again.
Maria noticed that every few days a regular visitor arrived at the building in a van from the mental health center to spend an hour or so with Lynn in her apartment. Maria worries that people who see the mental health center van might think those in the van were visiting Maria's family. She knew that people with mental illness needed to live somewhere, but why did it have to be in her building? Would other recovering mental patients rent the next vacant apartment in her building? Would people begin loitering in front of the building or behaving strangely? Would Maria's children be safe? Would the reputation of their neighborhood begin to decline? Another resident wants to have a town hall meeting about this "new resident."
Discuss the following questions within the group discussion. Use at least 3 website sources to support your answers. Reference your sources within the paper by author only in parentheses. Then list a full bibliography at the end of your post.
1. What do you feel a representative from NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) would say about the proposed meeting regarding the "new resident?" Would you plan to attend the meeting? Support your decision.
2. What federal laws could bear on this scenario? Choose at least three.
3. What practical ways can all of us stop the "stigma" surrounding mental illness?
4. Any personal experiences you would like to share that could impact the discussion of this scenario?