Should we reinstitute mental hospitals?

the mere fact of an emerging consensus on the proposal that we rethink our national aversion to inpatient psychiatric care is profound, given the polarization of our time.

The issue’s pertinence to our contemporary moment almost precludes explication. Mass shootings (which are empirically linked to mental illness, despite hysterical claims to the contrary), urban centers saturated with an often-psychotic homeless population, and a marked increase in suicides have left Americans of all political stripes disillusioned with a “mental health” establishment that, at base, seems to lack a fundamental seriousness.

The old guard of “mental health” pundits and experts have drowned hundreds of millions in taxpayer monies in a rhetorical fight against “stigma,” in what can only be described as a backhanded indictment of the American public (it’s your fault that the man up the road who hears voices doesn’t seek treatment). While federally funded advocacy groups spend money on reeducation campaigns and impeaching the American character, the malevolent and punitive hand of the prison system has replaced the pastoral asylum of old as a primary provider of care for the mentally ill.

Rather than applauding the guiding impetus for the state hospital’s constriction — the creation of a rural haven from the suffocating despair of serious mental illness, fit with gorgeous architecture and beautiful campuses — “advocates” and idealists have been satisfied to destroy Chesterton’s fence with only a rhetorical device (“community mental health!”) to replace it.

“Bring back the asylum” is an admittedly crude formula for what is a more benign goal, namely, reorienting psychiatric care toward an inpatient model for those for whom it is appropriate.

AvgMSUJoe wrote:Too expensive according to Republicans... screw the crazies.
...
Crazies are killing people with guns.
1+1=2
Huge ass tax on gun sales to fund crazy hospitals.

Robert J Sakimano wrote:

AvgMSUJoe wrote:Too expensive according to Republicans... screw the crazies.
...
Crazies are killing people with guns.
1+1=2
Huge ass tax on gun sales to fund crazy hospitals.

the GOP needs a mentally unstable citizenry to carry out mass murders/domestic terror attacks. It's what helps them maintain relevance and fundraise.
the LAST thing they want is to end school shootings/domestic terror attacks.

LooseGoose wrote:

Robert J Sakimano wrote:



the GOP needs a mentally unstable citizenry to carry out mass murders/domestic terror attacks. It's what helps them maintain relevance and fundraise.
the LAST thing they want is to end school shootings/domestic terror attacks.

And the funny part is that our resident Liberals cast me as the unhinged one.

DWags wrote:

Robert J Sakimano wrote:we need to start with reinstituting jesus back into the classrooms.

it's His absence that has created a vacancy for the evils in America. And the evils took advantage of it.

If I let Jesus into my life, can I keep the gays out of my businesses?

SawGreen wrote:I would support more tax money going to inpatient mental healthcare. I would also support raising the bar on publicly funded education (2 years of college or trade school). Both seem like pretty liberal concepts when you start putting labels on things (like so many here are want to do), but I think as a society they are worth it (and I am fiscally conservative).

Robert J Sakimano wrote:

SawGreen wrote:I would support more tax money going to inpatient mental healthcare. I would also support raising the bar on publicly funded education (2 years of college or trade school). Both seem like pretty liberal concepts when you start putting labels on things (like so many here are want to do), but I think as a society they are worth it (and I am fiscally conservative).

in modern political society, if someone floated out the concept of a "public library", the right would call it a anti-American socialist plot from which our proud republic might never recover.

SawGreen wrote:

Robert J Sakimano wrote:in modern political society, if someone floated out the concept of a "public library", the right would call it a anti-American socialist plot from which our proud republic might never recover.

I think there is a lot of misunderstanding of "the right". Case in point, this thread and who opened it. But it gives people something to shake their fist at... oh well.

LooseGoose wrote:From a Conservative publication, complete with some Liberal chiding - as well as telling Cons they need to recognize the government's role here. Either way an article that goes deeper than "we need to do something" with some actual proposals.

7 Practical Strategies For Addressing America’s Mental Illness Crisis

the mere fact of an emerging consensus on the proposal that we rethink our national aversion to inpatient psychiatric care is profound, given the polarization of our time.

The issue’s pertinence to our contemporary moment almost precludes explication. Mass shootings (which are empirically linked to mental illness, despite hysterical claims to the contrary), urban centers saturated with an often-psychotic homeless population, and a marked increase in suicides have left Americans of all political stripes disillusioned with a “mental health” establishment that, at base, seems to lack a fundamental seriousness.

The old guard of “mental health” pundits and experts have drowned hundreds of millions in taxpayer monies in a rhetorical fight against “stigma,” in what can only be described as a backhanded indictment of the American public (it’s your fault that the man up the road who hears voices doesn’t seek treatment). While federally funded advocacy groups spend money on reeducation campaigns and impeaching the American character, the malevolent and punitive hand of the prison system has replaced the pastoral asylum of old as a primary provider of care for the mentally ill.

Rather than applauding the guiding impetus for the state hospital’s constriction — the creation of a rural haven from the suffocating despair of serious mental illness, fit with gorgeous architecture and beautiful campuses — “advocates” and idealists have been satisfied to destroy Chesterton’s fence with only a rhetorical device (“community mental health!”) to replace it.

“Bring back the asylum” is an admittedly crude formula for what is a more benign goal, namely, reorienting psychiatric care toward an inpatient model for those for whom it is appropriate.

Watch Out Pylon! wrote:

LooseGoose wrote:From a Conservative publication, complete with some Liberal chiding - as well as telling Cons they need to recognize the government's role here. Either way an article that goes deeper than "we need to do something" with some actual proposals.

7 Practical Strategies For Addressing America’s Mental Illness Crisis

Weren't you recently whining your ass off about political comments on the main board. Yeah... yeah you were.

DWags wrote:

Robert J Sakimano wrote:we need to start with reinstituting jesus back into the classrooms.

it's His absence that has created a vacancy for the evils in America. And the evils took advantage of it.

If I let Jesus into my life, can I keep the gays out of my businesses?

Watch Out Pylon! wrote:

DWags wrote:

If I let Jesus into my life, can I keep the gays out of my businesses?

Had to take the kiddo to the ER yesterday for a stomach bug. Had a bad fever. Bad diaper rash. She's getting better now with meds... anyway. I saw one lady walking around the waiting room with this shirt on. Had to chuckle a bit.