[Leica] Mentally ill and homeless

[lrzeitlin at optonline.net (Lawrence Zeitlin)]

On Apr 8, 2009, at 3:52 AM, Gene wrote:

> I'm not sure why you consider the US opinion of the homeless as  
> being ignorant. ?It is certainly the last thing I think of and the  
> same goes for most people I know. ? I also do not see it as a  
> mental health issue, but more of a economic issue.

I'd like to support Chris on this matter, as least as regards many of  
New York's homeless. Fifty years ago most of New York's obviously  
mentally ill were institutionalized for treatment at considerable  
expense to the state. With the concurrent advent of psychologically  
theraputic drugs  (tranqulizers, anti depressants, anti psychotics)  
and New York City's financial crisis (You remember the headlines.  
"President Ford to NY 'Drop Dead' ") the city closed most of the  
institutions, opting to treat the ambulatory mentally ill on an  
outpatient basis. It was assumed that visits to neighborhood clinics  
plus drug therapy would suffice. But the the patients were mentally  
ill. They often forgot to visit the clinics and take their  
medications. Within a year or two most were on the streets, unable to  
find work, living on doorsteps, sleeping over warm air subway grates.  
Admittedly there are many people homeless because of economic  
conditions but a substantial number of the homeless in New York are  
there because of decisions made in the mental health system a  
generation ago. Safety nets and homeless shelters have been put in  
place but still many people chose to live out their life on the streets.

Larry Z