Escape of Psychiatric Patient at Mathari sickening

Psychiatric Disability Organization (PDO) is saddened by news reports emerging early Monday morning indicating that a number of psychiatric patients escaped from Mathari Mental Hospital after the doctors’ strike begun.

There were reports that police were sent to “arrest” and return the patients who escaped. This is an even more sickening scenario given the nature and presentation of psychiatric disorders, a challenge the police are not trained to handle.