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Some credit the use of Thorazine with reducing the need for institutions (the first FDA approved anti-psychotic and approved in 1954). The number of persons with mental illness who were hospitalized in public hospitals peaked at 560,000 in 1955. But even before that Pres. Truman had funded NIMH to study the problems related to mental health concerns, including the population numbers in hospitals. A general link:
In 1963, Pres. JF Kennedy signed the "Community Mental Health Act." This was in response, IMO, to both financial pressures and social pressures. The Vietnam War was very expensive and the Federal gov't was looking to save in multiple ways. Also, mental health in general and the rights and treatment of those with mental illness were getting popular attention. Pressure from at least two camps.
I could dig further. There was outrage at forced sterilization programs of those with mental illness or cognitive deficits. There was growing support for expanded educational services to include persons with mental illnesses and cognitive deficits. Those topics gaining broader interest in the 1960s.
Approximately 1 in 25 adults in the U.S.—9.8 million, or 4.0%—experiences a serious mental illness in a given year that substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities.
We really need to bring those institutions back.
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An estimated 26% of homeless adults staying in shelters live with serious mental illness and an estimated 46% live with severe mental illness and/or substance use disorders.
Approximately 20% of state prisoners and 21% of local jail prisoners have “a recent history” of a mental health condition.
70% of youth in juvenile justice systems have at least one mental health condition and at least 20% live with a serious mental illness.
Only 41% of adults in the U.S. with a mental health condition received mental health services in the past year. Among adults with a serious mental illness,
62.9% received mental health services in the past year.
Just over half (50.6%) of children aged 8-15 received mental health services in the previous year.
African Americans and Hispanic Americans used mental health services at about one-half the rate of Caucasian Americans in the past year and Asian Americans at about one-third the rate.
Half of all chronic mental illness begins by age 14; three-quarters by age 24. Despite effective treatment, there are long delays—sometimes decades—between the first appearance of symptoms and when people get help.
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Serious mental illness costs America $193.2 billion in lost earnings per year.
Mood disorders, including major depression, dysthymic disorder and bipolar disorder, are the third most common cause of hospitalization in the U.S. for both youth and adults aged 18–44.
Individuals living with serious mental illness face an increased risk of having chronic medical conditions.
Adults in the U.S. living with serious mental illness die on average 25 years earlier than others, largely due to treatable medical conditions.
Over one-third (37%) of students with a mental health condition age 14*–21 and older who are served by special education drop out—the highest dropout rate of any disability group.
Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S., the 3rd leading cause of death for people aged 10–24, and the 2nd leading cause of death for people aged 15–24.
More than 90% of children who die by suicide have a mental health condition.
Each day an estimated 18-22 veterans die by suicide.
Not everyone needs to be institutionalized, but there's a LOT of people who need help and are not getting it...which can makes things worse.
Last edited by Three Wolves In Snow; 04-15-2017 at 01:43 AM..
These same people have their full rights, including the right to keep & bear arms, once they come to age.
There are so many mentally ill people on street corners in big cities begging to make a living.
All these people that are unemployable, are the SWJ warriors. They are the mentally ill.
So called Asylums or Mental Institutions usually held people with a wide range of conditions, from those with a learning disability through to elderly people with Alzheimers/Dementia through to schizophrenics and other mental health conditions and even those involved in the Forensic (Criminal) Mental Health system.
Today such people are cared for in a variety of settings, those with learning disabilities are often housed in the community in supported housing or housed in specially run community homes run by numerous organisations such as Mencap in the UK.
People with dementia are often cared for by family or in homes, indeed when a person is diagnosed with dementia as a condition and requires nursing care, then the NHS in the UK is liable in relation to payments as the individual has a recognised medical condition.
In terms of schizophrenics, who made up the vast majority of the psychiatric cases in such Asylums, modern drugs have transformed the treatment of such conditions and although some hospitalisation may be required, there are a number of options including low security hospitalisation and indeed supported housing/hostels and Community Psychiatric Teams which include Psychiatrists, Community Psychiatric Nurses (CPN's) and Approved Social Workers.
In relation to serious conditions in the Forensic Psychiatric Services, these are people who have committed crimes as a result of mental illness and depending on the severity of the crime and the severity of their condition may be housed in Regional Medium Secure Units or in State or National High Security Hospitals.
There are also regional units for young people including those suffering from eating disorders and indeed Borderline Personality Disorders and their is a specialist Medium Secure Forensic Learning Units and High Security. The prison services in many countries also have a number of specialist units which deal with mental health issues and personality disorders.
So large warehousing of people in to Victorian type Aylums is not what is needed or required, what is needed is more of the specialist provisions already mentioned, and more specialist investment and indeed more specialist beds and community support.
In terms of employment many people go through periods of mental illness but go on to lead normal lives and seek employment.
Need to legalize marijuana. Place am excess tax on cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuanna. That excess tax will find universal mental health care at State and Non-Profit facilities. In addition to, also universal Medicare.
Lots of young folks running around with a "nervous condition". Just navigate around them, no need to force us to pay for another gov run boondoggle to treat them.
You mean psychiatric hospitals? They don't exist anymore?
My Uncle John (a psychiatrist ) works at Canyon Ridge hospital which is a mental health care hospital. Their Inpatient hospitalization is designed to stabilize the patient before transitioning them to a less intensive level of care.
We can make them the official "Safe Space" for all those that need one.
The reason the larger state-run institutions no longer exist is because the government does not want to pay for them, and most of those who belong there cannot afford to pay. They are a large majority of the homeless you see on the streets.
Many states cannot even provide rehab facilities for its opioid-addicted populations.
Perhaps Congress will address this issue in their new and improved health care legislation, but I suspect that is not the case. In fact, in all likelihood, you will see more mental health issues in society, rather than less. Obama specifically included mental health in the ACA. The GOP will most likely eliminate it.
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Maybe we should bring back the mental institutions...
