Every week, Ray, a 54-year-old man, is taken to a local clinic for electro-convulsive therapy. But Ray finds these treatments frightening and a direct cause of significant memory loss. He wants the treatments to stop, but he’ll need a court order for that to happen.

For most people, the right to refuse medical treatment isn’t a matter up for debate. But for people with mental illness, the same standards don’t always apply. We tend to assume that a person who is experiencing debilitating depression or hearing voices isn’t capable of making decisions about their medical treatment. In some cases, there may be legitimate arguments to make regarding a person’s competence, but it’s worth questioning whether stigma influences a judge’s decision to compel treatment. I don’t pretend to have a full understanding of the role mental illness plays in affecting one’s decision-making capabilities, but I do think it’s possible for a person to make a rational decision between coping with one’s symptoms and the dramatic side-effects of a treatment.

Thanks to Bridget for the tip.

Advocates in the blind community are unhappy with a Saturday Night Live skit that pokes fun at New York governor David Paterson, who happens to be blind. Here’s the clip:

I’m usually one who’s willing to give comedy writers wide latitude when it comes to disability. You’ll recall that I didn’t share the concerns of many disability activists regarding the film Tropic Thunder. And I admire the writers of shows like South Park and The Office, who frequently incorporate disability themes into their scripts. In fact, the SNL writers might want to watch those episodes for some tips on giving disability the comedic treatment without confusing nastiness for humor. Because that’s this skit’s big failure. It actually hopes to find the funny in a blind man holding a chart upside down. Or in the notion that a blind man is woefully unprepared for the challenges of leadership. The other shows I mentioned have a knack for finding the funny in everyone else’s reactions to a person’s disability, but this skit tells me that the kids running SNL have yet to smooth out the more dickish edges of their writing.

It’s too bad, too. The show was briefly funny during the election, but it looks like it’s rediscovering its capacity to suck.

Thanks to Rose for the tip.

A Canadian filmmaker is developing a method to place a camera inside his prosthetic eye. I might be able to pull off something similar by sticking a camera inside my trach tube, as long as I’m not required to shoot for more than three or four minutes at a time. Imagine all the undercover work I could do for local television news outlets. Then again, people might get suspicious when they notice me turning blue.

The video below is an excerpt from the documentary Playing for Change that I first caught while watching Bill Moyers’ Journal. It features musicians from around the world performing a cover version of “Stand By Me”. The editing skills on display here are impressive and the song has always been a favorite of mine.

And if the economy still has you stressing out, might I suggest…puppies!

Let’s say you’re a factory worker and you’ve just learned that the factory is going to shut down in a matter of days. Your employer-based health insurance is also going to disappear, even though you’re pregnant and due to deliver any day now. In a desperate attempt to avoid getting stuck with a huge medical bill, you tell your doctor to induce labor. Absurd? Absolutely, but it also is a true story. And the poor woman ended up getting stuck with the bill anyway.

When the next administration takes office, I’m hopeful that we can finally stop arguing about whether our health care system needs repair and get to the business of actually repairing it. I’m not expecting miracles, but I hope a first step is providing states with additional funding for Medicaid and SCHIP. Jonathan Gruber, an economics professor at MIT, makes a powerful case for viewing health care spending as economic stimulus. Universal insurance coverage gives families greater discretionary spending power and more freedom to change jobs or careers. At the very least, a cash infusion into Medicaid and SCHIP might give overburdened hospitals and emergency rooms a little relief.