Family Advocacy

To the Editor: I must object to the immediate rebuttal allowed William Emmet (1) in response to Sylvia Caras' article (2) on the downside of the family advocacy movement in the June 1998 issue. Publishing the rebuttal with the article gave the impression that the questions raised by Ms. Caras had been answered, which is far from the truth.

Recently I attended a meeting where innovative county providers were explaining their triumphs and defeats in establishing a new approach to mental health services. There was general agreement that one of the biggest obstacles was the parents, who either were too overprotective or were totally rejecting of the children involved in the programs.

While I would agree that the entire family can be affected by the severe mental illness of a family member, as mine certainly was, growth and development can happen only when consumers take the reins and are allowed to speak for themselves and control their own destinies.

Ms. Philips is a mental health advocate in Des Moines, Iowa.