Why did the large scale mental institutions close down,how are mentally ill ppl treated today and isit better

Answer 1

if you combine zeek and kat's answers, that is the closest to the truth. There are many people with serious mental illness who are successfully and happily living in the community, who previously would have been in an institution all their lives (me, for example) Then there are people who need more follow up care, and for whatever reason, are not getting it, so they have a poor outcome. I think there are more people doing well and prefer this arrangement than not, and even a lot of homeless probalby prefer their living situation to involuntary detention, which is what mental hospitals were all about.

The large scale mental hospitals we still had in our state are being shut down, and that's great, because the staff (not well trained) were very emotionally abusive. The hospitals are going to these 16 bed units for shorter stays and a homier atmosphere. There are also group homes for people who cannot care for themselves. A person is free to reject care, tho, as long as they are not suicidal or a danger to others. This is a problem for people who do not realize that they are mentally ill, but for those of us who do realize it, it gives us control over our treatment options. I don't think there is any winning way to solve this problem-how can you force care on some, and allow others to make their own choices? who decides? and if someone has to decide for each case, how threatening is that to a mentally competent person with mental illness (answer: terrifying!) Coercion is the name of the game there.

In my case, it's better. I am married, have 4 great cats, live in a rural home, and garden and hunt and fish and use the computer and oil paint etc etc. and volunteer in the mental health community with others who would have previously lived their lives in an institution. What a waste!! There is the consumer movement now, too, and that's all about empowerment for mentally disabled people (we are more than mental patients, we are people with our own lives and loves who have a mental problem that is usually quite treatable)

Answer 2

It was not just the mentally ill that was institutionalized it was also the mentally retarded. The communities and smaller units are better able to take care of the mentally ill or retarded people. Institutions were very cruel in some respects. It was more of a hiding place than a dealing with disease place. Drugs therapy is much better today than back in the day of institutions.

About the homeless people, we have always had them. My mother and her mother was homeless throughout the depression. Salvation Army have always provided some housing for the homeless since their conception.
The towns that I am around have somewhere for both the mentally ill and the mentally retarded. Even the nursing homes provide housing for the homeless when there is a family that brings them in from the cold. I have worked in a nursing home sitting for years. These people that were homeless when they stated with us ran off all the time. Family would have to take them out and government regulations would not allow us to keep the younger ones for long. Family usually come and got them. They would not stay with their people either. I hated to see this but you can not keep a free soul in what hey considered a jail. Reagan turning out the Mentally ill was kind of a bogus statement. They have been shutting these places down since the 1960's. There are a lot places all this country that they can get help. They make the choice to stay out there.

Answer 3

In the 1980's, Ronald Reagan and his crew stopped federal funding for the mentally ill. The "theory" was that local services would pick up the slack, and that it was not a national problem. Like almost all other social policy changes wrought by his administration, the ramifications are far-reaching. The patients were literally kicked out. And hmmmmm, whaddya know, the homeless population skyrocketed. Prior to that, even the WORD homeless was not in use, nor so widespread.

So, chronic mentally ill people are now most often on the street, or in jail. Some jails (Florida comes to mind), already over-crowded, have sued the Federal Government for assistance, because they lack the manpower or space or expertise to deal with mentally ill inmates.

No, it's not better, it's 100x worse. Instead of large facilities to care for this population, they're now isolated and left untreated, and left to their own devices. Local services are few and far between, and have never been more urgently needed. However, most people do not want half-way houses, etc. in THEIR neighborhood, and these poor people have few options. Families do what they can, but there is little organized support or assistance.

If this issue strikes you as inhumane, speak out. Contact your congressman and senators. This failure to treat the neediest amongst us speaks volumes about us as a society.

Answer 4

i worked in a large hospital in Canada in the 1970's there were 2,400 people in the hospital. i believe it was cheaper to close hospitals, but that was not the only reason. it was felt that it was not right for people to live in hospitals the rest of their life, and if at all possible that patients would be better off living on their own, or with support. living in an institution, robs a person of their dignity, and self respect. people with mental illness want the same things in life as we do. to be loved, have a family, job, and a good place to live. a lot of the people that are now living in the community never want to go back to the hospital. the treatment today is much better but there is still room for improvement hope this helps your question

Answer 5

they closed cause it costs too much to run them. now mentally ill people are in the community and they are helped by going to day clinics and by occupational therapists ! you should google your question for a better answer. http://www.google.co.uk