What can be done to improve mental health care in the US?

Question

There are very few options for the severely mentally ill. Therefore most of them are homeless or in prison. It seems the government and insurance companies see these persons as a "drain" on our society....so they offer little or nothing to help them. What happens to persons with mental disorders in other countries?

Answer 1

I have to agree with you. I work in a hospital and we get homeless people all the time and the one thing that I have learned about our homeless is that most of them suffer from sort of mental illness, most of the time a severe type. We never discharge our homeless back onto the streets from the hospital that I work at, but I know that many across the country do. In our country we need to start seeing mental illnesses as a social problem, that people with mental illnesses effects everyone somehow. In the USA we like to sweep mental illness under the rug, and keep it secret. There needs to be places for the mentally ill to go to besides homeless shelters and the few hospitals for the criminally insane. We need to have health insurance for everybody like they have many other countries so that the price of treatment isn't a concern for anyone. Many of the homeless are that way because their mental illness keeps them from having a job. Some people say that we need to get them into some kind of work rehab system. Well, how is that going to work when someone thinks they are the king of Mars or the CEO of some major business or they are the middle of some government conspiracy, and that's with meds. We need to those people off the streets instead of just turning our heads to the problem.

Answer 2

I have been unable to get the "available" treatment for my son through the mental healtcare system, so I'm trying to go through the judicial system. They won't do anything because there is no funding unless he commits a crime, although he obviously needs help. Why isn't any federal funding provided to the states to treat those with mental illness, yet they give the states funding for imprisoning people?

Also, it would be great if the state would accept private insurance or at least let middle income people pay for services on a sliding scale. However, what I've found to be the case is that the mental health programs will only take you if you have state medical insurance. You can only get the state insurance if you are on welfare. Nobody will take your private insurance. Or you can pay in full - but of course you can't afford that unless you're rich.

Answer 3

Assuming you are speaking of those severe cases of mental illness that the homeless may have or those in prison may have; it is necessary to educate the people, like police, wardens, guards, homeless shelter managers, and the general public on the fact that mental illness is just that, an illness and not some character defect or fault of the individual that has the disorder. One of the previous answers bears me out on this by their misunderstanding of the incapacitating nature of mental illness.

Answer 4

well me i have mental illness an guess what no one will help me an no one cares if i die are not an people just dont care about me are you are any one are anything they are alot of homeless an most of the time no one cares the usa needs to do some thing to help people like me an to help keep people from going homeless but most people an the usa is sorry bags of ****