Note from the Editor

In most Readings of the Week, a paper or essay is selected and then discussed in the commentary.

This week, we try something a bit different: a few pieces are selected and briefly discussed. We can cover more ground this way, and consider some pieces that may not have warranted a “full” Reading, but are still worthy of consideration.

DG

 

Selection 1: “How to Help Save the Mentally Ill From Themselves”

Norman J. Ornstein, The New York Times, 17 November 2015

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My older son, Matthew Ornstein, died at age 34 on Jan. 3 from carbon monoxide poisoning. It was accidental — he fell asleep in a tent with a propane lantern — but his death was shaped by a lack of judgment driven by a 10-year struggle with mental illness.

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