Penni, I thought maybe we could discuss mental illness over here (where it belongs?) a little more appropriately than at the Boinking Monica thread. I have reread the post I wrote to Jack that seemed to upset you, and nowhere in there did I say that the only reason for deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill was economic, and I do not believe that, but I was writing briefly about economic policies, so I can see how you would think that. It seems like a very casual reference may have been misconstrued.
Obviously, there were new medications which had been developed, as well, and increasingly libertarian beliefs in much of the American public, which had become more aware of concepts of maximum freedoms for everyone. Certainly, there was supposed to be community care for the people who were released, as well. I do believe that cost-cutting politicians seized on public sentiment, and took advantage of it for economic reasons. When the community care did not materialize, and outpatient care didn't work, certainly there was no widespread movement by governments to accept responsibility for a failed policy, because it would have cost money.
I was mostly talking about my remembrances of what it felt like living in California, as more and more people who obviously needed help ended up on the streets. It really felt like the whole fabric of society changed in San Francisco! The deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill has caused increased homelessness and crime (including violent crime) and human suffering as well, and mental illness has to some degree become criminalized, because people who would have been in relatively safe, clean hospitals end up in jails for very minor offenses they never would have committed had they been in proper care.
I am not sure what you extrapolated from my remarks, but obviously I would agree that there were many dedicated people, you among them, trying to make these programs work.
Here are a few urls I found interesting to read while I was mulling this over:
schizophrenia.com
mentalhealth.com
schizophrenia.com
schizophrenia.com |
