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Those with mental illness also have rights
There was a time when a person with mental illness could walk around Saipan, Rota, or Tinian and, at best, be treated fairly and compassionately, and at worst, be ignored. That no longer appears to be the case.
I would guess that there is not one adult resident in the Commonwealth that does not know at least one person with a mental illness. Some mental illnesses are more obvious than others; some mental illnesses are more debilitating than others or make coping with life more difficult. Some persons with mental illnesses are annoying and some are avoided because they are “eccentric” or “different.” Some persons with mental illness simply fade into the background and are not even noticed.
Recently I was told that a person with a mental illness was denied a room at a hotel solely because the person had a mental illness with the result that the person was virtually homeless for the night. Recently I was told that a person with mental illness was bullied or confronted for no apparent reason other than he was different and fortunately another person intervened to prevent escalation.
There are federal laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of mental illness (as well as other disabilities) in the “full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations of any place of public accommodation.” In other words, for example, a hotel cannot deny a room to a person simply because that person has a mental illness.
But beyond what the law requires, we need to reach out and help where we can and at least we need to ensure we don’t make life more difficult for persons dealing with mental illness.
If you or a member of your family of a friend need more information on the right of persons with mental illness, please contact Northern Marianas Protection & Advocacy Systems, Inc. (NMPASI), at tel (670) 235-7273/4 or fax (670) 235-7275.
Jeanne Rayphand
Legal counsel, NMPASI
