Should Our Children And Our Parents Eat Out Of Garbage Cans?

[goofyfish]

WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 — The U.S. mental health system is in crisis, unable to provide even the most basic services and supports to people with psychiatric disabilities, according to a federal report released Monday.

THE FUNDAMENTAL problem: emphasizing medicating people over fostering ways to help them lead productive lives.

The report by the National Council on Disability, a 15-member independent federal panel, provides an overview of the current state of public systems providing mental health services to children, adults and seniors.

For me this is a problem that cuts across political lines. We must understand that mental illness can strike any of us or any member of our families at any time. To continue to abdicate our responsibilities to these people is to potentially consign our loved ones to lives of unnecessary suffering and grinding poverty.

In many communities, jails and prisons have become the largest providers of mental health services, and homeless shelters and nursing homes have become a last resort for people with mental illnesses.
Beyond funding, one of the most significant barriers is that the public mental health system generally works from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Full text here)

Mental illnesses do not discriminate; they affect people of every age, gender, race, religion, or socioeconomic status. Mental illnesses are not the result of personal weakness, lack of character, or poor upbringing. In the United States, over seven million adults and over five million children and adolescents suffer from a serious, chronic brain disorder. These illnesses have a great impact on society. Four of the top ten leading causes of disability are mental illnesses including major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder, and the estimated cost of mental health care is over $150 billion per year. But far more important is the effect untreated mental illness has on the lives of individuals and their loved ones.

Peace.