Published 2002 Accessed Oct. 16 2011
The summary
Thousands of people with mental illness were placed in mental hospitals in U.S. In 1969’s U.S started a new movement ‘deinstitutionalization’ which eventually changed life of people with mental illness. According to Andrew Sperling, who is the legislative director of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. People who leave mental hospitals without a proper cure and support for their housings, will end up on the street as a beggar or even become a criminal. With the support of statics it is clearly shown that the number of in-patient beds in the U.S decreased dramatically from 413,000 in 1970 to below 100,000 in 1990s. However decreasing the shelter for the mentally ill people did not have a good effect, by the end of 1998, around 280,000 mentally ill people were imprisoned. Most of the incarcerations were just for a short amount of time and these crimes involved “disturbing the peace or vagrancy” (Karaim, 1) according to Michael Allen, any race or class can have mental illness it is not the poor ones who has it, however, the poor people doesn’t have money to treat this illness therefore it seems like only the poor people have the mental diseases. Because deinstitutionalization movement has few failures they are followed-up with more treatment and assistance. One example of the following-up assistance is ‘supportive public housing’ all the people are given equal right no matter if they have disease or not and it sometimes lead the mentally ill people to succeed in such settings.
Personal respond
I think the ‘deinstitutionalization’ movement was a correct response towards the mental hospital, since the mental hospital did not bring any changes into the mentally ill people’s life. It is true that after decreasing the amount of in-patient bed there were raise in the rate of crimes and etc. The government still gave better chance to the mentally ill people to get used to the society. The government provided few shelters for the mentally ill people, it wasn’t like the mental hospital where everyone had to follow the rules and work under the ‘combine’. This article in some way is related to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey. The book is set during 1960’s in a mental hospital which was divided into acute and chronic, the story of the mental hospital clearly shows why the number of patients decreased. The hospital is not fair to the patient in the book and it also shows how people in mental hospital (jail) are isolated from the society. Because the mental hospital wasn’t fair to the mentally ill people, I personally think it was better idea to decrease the amount of in-patient bed in the hospital and provide open shelter for the mentally ill people.
vocabulary
Word 1 – incarcerated
A- But in 1998, 283,800 people with mental illnesses were incarcerated in American jails or prisons - four times the number in state mental hospitals, according to the Department of Justice.
B- verb - imprisoned
C- All the students are incarcerated in Woodstock school
Word 2 – Vagrancy
A- Those incarcerations are generally short-term and involve crimes like disturbing the peace or vagrancy
B- noun - wandering in thought or talk; digression
C- Woodstock gives vagrancy essays which are meant to trick the students
Word 3 - advocate
A- Advocates believe all but the most severely mentally ill can succeed in such a setting.
B- verb- supporting, to stand up for someone
C- If you are in DAC meeting you need to convince as many people as possible because you will need advocates to get out of trouble.
