I believe that deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill was a serious mistake. In order to draw this conclusion, I had to first understand what deinstitutionalization was and why we came to this decision as a country. In 1955 the number of patients in mental hospitals peaked to a striking 560,000 patients only a year after Thorazine, an antipsychotic drug was approved by the Food and Drug administration. Not even 10 years later, John F. Kennedy signed the Community Mental Health act to enact federal funding for the building of community-based preventative care and treatment facilities. Although, the act was signed the funding was never truly provided due to the Vietnam War and economic problems. Not only did the act promote the building
…show more content…
According to Kelly S. and McKenna, “Instead of people being integrated into the community, people with mental illness trade the isolation of the hospital for the isolation of the house or apartment.” This basically means that although the mentally ill are being introduced into society, the boundaries placed on them as far as needing continued outpatient therapy and treatment still have the basic concept of an asylum. Furthermore, along the lines of isolation, studies have shown that there is a positive correlation between homelessness and deinstitutionalization and even criminal …show more content…
The answer is that the community mental health centers are currently understaffed and continue to face increased understaffing. It has been said that there are over 2.2 million mentally ill who are not currently receiving treatment. Not only is there understaffing, but there is also nobody there to truly hold these patients accountable. Even at the end of the 1850s when moral treatment in hospitals was proven successful, severe funding and staffing shortages developed and recovery rates declined as we have seen similar in deinstitutionalization in the present time.
It seems as though the trend suggests that those with severe mental illness fail to make lasting recoveries and get caught in the revolving door between hospitals, jail, and being in the community. Traditional hospitals are not set up for the long-term care these patients need and therefore when they are released, the sick cycle
According to Kelly S. and McKenna, “Instead of people being integrated into the community, people with mental illness trade the isolation of the hospital for the isolation of the house or apartment.” This basically means that although the mentally ill are being introduced into society, the boundaries placed on them as far as needing continued outpatient therapy and treatment still have the basic concept of an asylum. Furthermore, along the lines of isolation, studies have shown that there is a positive correlation between homelessness and deinstitutionalization and even criminal …show more content…
The answer is that the community mental health centers are currently understaffed and continue to face increased understaffing. It has been said that there are over 2.2 million mentally ill who are not currently receiving treatment. Not only is there understaffing, but there is also nobody there to truly hold these patients accountable. Even at the end of the 1850s when moral treatment in hospitals was proven successful, severe funding and staffing shortages developed and recovery rates declined as we have seen similar in deinstitutionalization in the present time.
It seems as though the trend suggests that those with severe mental illness fail to make lasting recoveries and get caught in the revolving door between hospitals, jail, and being in the community. Traditional hospitals are not set up for the long-term care these patients need and therefore when they are released, the sick cycle