WSJ: It’s Time to Bring Back Asylums

[goldmom]

I still have my tonsils despite many bouts of tonsillitis and strep throat when I was younger.

I think they figured out that you eventually develop some immunity or outgrow those things. My kids still have their tonsils. We just kept a bottle of “the pink stuff “ (amoxicillin) in the refrigerator door at all times.

 

[goldmom]

Welcome to the Psychiatric Hotline.
If you have multiple personalities, press 3, 4, 5, and 6.
If you are delusional, press 7 and your call will be transferred to the mother ship.
If you are dyslexic, press 969696969696.
If you are blond, don't press any buttons, you'll just mess it up.
If you are paranoid, we know who you are and what you want. Stay on the line so we can trace the your call, come to your home and finally capture you.
This is Frasier Crane and I'm listening.....

I wonder if you get paid for this stuff?

 

[fsufool]

Didn't Ronald Reagan basically close them down in the 1980's?

It started under JFK, whose sister was in one and he saw how tragically she was dealt with from both a treatment perspective and being tied down to a bed for long periods. The 1960s brought "liberation" psychologists/psychiatrists whom clamored for the closing of institutions. FYI, JFK asked for "community care centers" to go along with the closing of large institutions which were never created because politicians didn't want to move the money from closing the institutions to community care centers. Politicians (and this was mostly conservative politicians) wanted to create downward pressure on taxes and/or spend the money on other things like the military-industrial state.

 

[MagNoleA]

I wonder if you get paid for this stuff?

Its not a handsome bounty.

 

[GeddyLee09]

It started under JFK, whose sister was in one and he saw how tragically she was dealt with from both a treatment perspective and being tied down to a bed for long periods. The 1960s brought "liberation" psychologists/psychiatrists whom clamored for the closing of institutions. FYI, JFK asked for "community care centers" to go along with the closing of large institutions which were never created because politicians didn't want to move the money from closing the institutions to community care centers. Politicians (and this was mostly conservative politicians) wanted to create downward pressure on taxes and/or spend the money on other things like the military-industrial state.

"Kennedy's legislation provided for $329 million to build mental health centers that were supposed to provide services to people who had formerly been in institutions, as well as to reach into communities to try to prevent the occurrence of new mental disorders. Had the act been fully implemented, there would have been a single place in every community for people to go for mental health services."

Kennedy's vision for mental health never realized

The bill aimed to reduce hospitalization of mentally ill, but was never fully funded.

www.usatoday.com

According to the article the Act provided the initial funding and then left it to the states to cover long term costs.

It then says under Reagan the remaining funding was converted to a block grant for states. Where does the military industrial state and politicians come into play here? Seems the states blew the money which never happens with grants.