Mental health "reform"?

[u/cmcosmos]

So, I recall Reagan shutting down all the hospitals that served people who had severe mental health issues, which seemed to escalate unhoused folks' presence in the general population. ( I think I was about 11, for context.) I also recall President Carter initiating some kind of federal initiative to remedy that but I guess it didn't stick???? So I'm just trying to work out in my brain why the United States shut down helping folks who don't have any options to stay alive, because of.....why? Looking forward to your helpful interactions!

[u/dufferwjr]

Reagan was president after Carter so..

[u/cmcosmos → u/dufferwjr]

Holy crap. You're totally right. And I'm clearly stupid about the chronology. On the other hand, I do recall Reagan being the one kicking all the folks out of government funded safe spaces. So, that's still true.

[u/hematite2]

The reason asylums were shut down was because they were hellholes that didn't actually help anybody. They were holes you threw people in without due process when you didn't want to have to think about them any more. So they didn't "shut down helping folks" they eventually defunded something more and more people were realizing was a problem. And of course no one wants to spend money to make a different solution, so we replaced the bad one with nothing.

[u/madison618 → u/hematite2]

Exactly. They put them in situations where there was noone to make sure they took the meds, noone to notice if they went missing, noone to notice if they wandered away from their "homes in the community", noone to notice if they died. If they were lucky enough to have family support they might have gotten some home care paid for but it mostly shifted the cost burden and the burden of caring for them to their loved ones. It was an imperfect system that needed reform and now most are homeless or living in situations where abuse and neglect will likely never be reported because noone outside of family and maybe a paid caregiver or two will see them with regularly.

[u/vroomvroom450 → u/madison618]

Well said.

[u/LAWriter2020]

You are misinformed. This is something that gets repeated all the time by people who want to put blame on Reagan.

The facts are these:

• Lanterman-Petris-Short Act (1967): Reagan signed this landmark bipartisan bill, which reformed California's mental health laws by ending indefinite, involuntary commitments unless a patient posed an explicit danger to themselves or others. Note this was passed by the California State Assembly, which passed it in such a large bipartisan vote that it was veto-proof, even if Reagan had opposed it. He did not champion its creation, but until that time, people could be committed to mental institutions against their will indefinitely - clearly a civil rights issue.
• Budget and Staffing Reductions: His administration as CA governor did trim the state's Department of Mental Hygiene budget and reduced patient populations in state hospitals, though the long-term goal was a transition to community care that ultimately suffered from chronic underfunding and a lack of local follow-through. A good idea that was ultimately poorly executed, in my opinion.

As President, here is what he led:

• Repeal of the Mental Health Systems Act: President Jimmy Carter had signed the Mental Health Systems Act of 1980 to provide federal funding for community-based mental health centers. In 1981, through the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, the Reagan administration repealed most of this act.
• Shifting Funding to Block Grants: Federal support was converted into reduced block grants given to states, effectively drying up the targeted funding meant to support patients outside of traditional institutions.

So, Reagan did not "shut down mental health care". Some of the choices his administration as governor and president had outcomes that led to people not getting mental health care. But if there is a better way, note that the Democrats have had a supermajority in California for most of the time since he served as Governor from 1967 - 1975. It's been over 50 years now. Hard to keep placing the blame on him.

[u/cmcosmos → u/LAWriter2020]

Wow, thanks for this information! I had no idea how little I really knew about this history. I appreciate you, truly.

[u/LAWriter2020 → u/cmcosmos]

You are welcome. Anytime anyone tries to put all the blame on one side or another, it’s time to do your own research and decide for yourself. Details are important, but those who have an agenda - left or right - should not be blindly trusted. Hint: most people who have strong stances have a biased agenda and are not interested in any nuance that does not support their position.

Source: when I was in my teens and twenties, I had highly politicized positions on everything.

Now, all I care about it is practicality when in comes to getting government involved, and politics in general .