Gloria P wrote:

>
> I doubt very much that anyone "aspires" to be homeless, either.
> IIRC, we have Pres Ronald Reagan to thank for "liberating"
> the mentally ill from government-sponsored hospitals. I believe
> he said he thought they'd be "happier" on the street.
>
> gloria p

There is a lot of blame placed on Reagan here that is hardly his fault.
During the time he's accused of de-institutionalizing psych patients,
ALL states were cutting their funding (NOT just California) and this all
began before Reagan became president.

During this period the courts and many patient advocates were also
pushing for care in the "least restrictive" environment. And of course
psych patients also are well known for going off their meds when they
feel like it, and can't always be "forced" to take them against their
wills. Patients have rights, y'know? This certainly does allow for a
poor ability to self care.
Meds were changing during this period also. The choices and treatments
were changing pretty rapidly. Meds and treatments change and we're even
going back to some old treatments again with a new eye (shock therapy
anyone?)

An excellent medical writer, fellow nurse and fairly active poster I
know online worth reading is Kurt Ullman. For years he's written on
these issues and is worth checking into the archives to read up on this
topic.