5 ms·
This could probably be debated for hours, and I’m not firm on this belief (curious to hear what others think) but I believe Reagan contributed to this decline w
by beowulfey 3y ago
This could probably be debated for hours, and I’m not firm on this belief (curious to hear what others think) but I believe Reagan contributed to this decline with the deinstitutionalization of mental health.
With the slow ascent of wealth inequality causing more people to feel financial strain, people at the bottom who mentally break no longer have a means to get mental health care.
(These days it is incredibly hard to get mental health care in the USA regardless of your financial status, IMO.)
- alephnerd 3y agoThere was bipartisan support for what Reagan did. You have to remember that One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was a hit in the mid 70s and there was a massive bipartisan support for the idea that institutionalization was infringing on rights. And to be fair, Mental Institutions in that era were horrendous. So this was an easy bipartisan win for politicians in the 70s and 80s.
- beowulfey 3y agoYeah, I can imagine it seemed like a good idea at the time. But it probably could have been done differently and I definitely think it should be fixed now!
- alephnerd 3y agoThat's why you're seeing more discourse about this in 2023. The pendulum is beginning to swing in the opposite direction, but it will take at least 10-15 years to see any impact.
- liamN 3y agoI think youre right. Unfortunately, once the issue of, particularly homeless, severely mentally ill people is out of sight (i.e. no longer on the streets), it will be very easy for the issue to be forgotten by the masses. And it would be a huge cost center, since many of the patients would likely not have large quantities of savings, so no good material incentives to do it well either. It would be dangerously easy to fall right back into the terrible asylums of the past.