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Mental Illness Indicating Clothing

Helps social service agencies identify those in need of psychiatric treatment.
  (+3, -21)(+3, -21)(+3, -21)
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Many mentally ill people walk around getting worse and worse because they don't seek treatment themselves. Treatment can't be forced on them unless they are a danger to themselves or others, even though they might be suffering horribly from their disorders. If clothing were required to be made of some (hypothetical) fabric that was sensitive to, say, laser light so that it would become temporarily discolored (wouldn't want to permanently ruin the garment) when hit with the light. When encountering someone you think is psychotic, you would hit them with your laser pointer. People walking around with numerous discolored splotches on their clothing could be legally picked up and held for observation and medication.
mrthingy, Sep 13 2000

Interestingly parallel idea http://www.halfbake...bile_20Paint_20Ball
Mentally ill: the bad drivers of life. [jutta, Sep 13 2000]

The Church of No-Pants http://www.halfbake...Pants#968955176-2-1
An ideal refuge for the mentally ill. [DrBob, Sep 13 2000]

[link]






       I'm afraid this would lead to "nuisance suits", I for one would probobly be being picked up regularly, and end up medicated to the gills. Similarly, broke recreational drug users would be zapping each other to get a dose of chemi's.
Scott_D, Sep 13 2000, last modified Sep 14 2000
  

       I'm afraid all I can see happening is that Everyone would be picked up every day as lots of idiots would think it hilarious to zap everyone they see. Then the authorities would become overworked to the point that they couldn't pick up any more people....Nah, it's a dog.
Alcin, Sep 14 2000
  

       You forget that many mentally ill persons, such as myself, are prone to actions you have not considered. What happens when we are convinced that are clothing is in fact a potato sack full of maggots forcing one to disrobe and run through the streets in all our glory, desparately searching for bug spray and sharp objects?
julien, Sep 14 2000
  

       In that event, julien, you can join the Church of No-Pants, and save your miserable soul.
DrBob, Sep 14 2000
  

       [julien] since the point of these clothes is to identify raving lunatics, I do not think you will be escaping detection by running desparately naked down the street.
blahginger, Sep 14 2000
  

       <Being thought mentally ill is not enough reason to be "taken away by the men in white coats" - the person needs to be causing harm to themselves or others>   

       You don't consider living with untreated psychosis to be harm to oneself?
mrthingy, Aug 20 2006
  

       "Mr. Thingy exhibits a marked tendency to discuss strange and impractical ideas - commit him for observation" said the man in charge that week.
normzone, Aug 20 2006
  

       /a dose of chemi's/   

       That sound like a slang term for some sort of STI.
Texticle, Aug 21 2006
  

       Alcin suggested that everyone would get picked up every day. Sounds like a great idea to me. The prospect of getting picked up everyday under suspicion of being of having some mental illness, that sounds like a good time. More fun than going to work every day.
vincent88, Aug 21 2006
  
      
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