We need to bring back mental asylums in the US. amirite?

Depending on where you are, this isn't an unpopular opinion.

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

Where is this unpopular?

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

Republicans in the US defunded mental health asylums in the 1970s or 80s and just dumped all the patients on the streets. I think it was Reagan maybe that did it as President. Republicans still view them as bad and ignore the evidence that closing asylums increased homeless and put a ton of strain on the medical profession. A lot of the patients also ended up in prisons, prisons that are privately owned and whose owners donate to the Republican politicians…

by Naive-Vermicelli5351 4 weeks ago

It was not just the republicans. Disability Rights advocates fought for the serial closure of institutions for the mentally disabled and mentally ill across America (look up theWillowbrook scandal ) . Their mantra is "die with your rights on" which is going on now. Disability rights advocates don't tend to be republicans

by Beautiful-Deal-1321 4 weeks ago

No you didnt. You lied for Reagan is all you did.

by mayertnedra 4 weeks ago

Privatization of public services. You can get inpatient mental health services in the US. You just have to have to be wealthy enough to afford it. Another failure of a public service being privatized

by thartmann 4 weeks ago

Do you even know what this discussion is about?

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

I know Reagan did it as governor of California

by Pstokes 4 weeks ago

Republicans want mental institutions back open. This has to be satire.

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

Republican want people in mental institutions. Republicans just don't want them funded.

by Will81 4 weeks ago

Republicans want trans people in mental institutions for being trans.

by Brown70 4 weeks ago

Considering maga considers them to have a mental condition requiring medical help (maybe), I can see that. Albeit with their idea of a mental institution. To be quite fair its possible that this is an extreme view among maga. The problem is that millions of people believe it is a general view it has based on their rhetoric and behavior. And if this is the case they are doing little to combat it.

by Jeichmann 4 weeks ago

foh

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

No.

by Brown70 4 weeks ago

Not OP, but I don't think they should have heavy oversight. Seems like a situation where you want very little oversight.

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

Lack of oversight lead to insane levels of abuse, inhumane conditions, and experimentation back when they were popular. Oversight and robust funding are the only ways these could happen safely.

by Prestigious-Study581 4 weeks ago

I think you're thinking of the wrong meaning of oversight. They're not saying there should be a ton of things missed, they're saying they should be closely watched to assume there's none of the rampant abuse that the asylums of the past allowed

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

Know anything about Willowbrook?

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

Oh, I guess I didn't understand you. You're saying it's better to have LESS oversight in institutions housing the most vulnerable.

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

Precisely. If you're already sticking your problems in the corner so you don't have to look at them, why be disingenuously sanctimonious over the concept of oversight?

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

Okay. I guess that's your take. I don't know if it's so much unpopular as it is ignorant and sadistic, but okay.

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

Oh I bet it's gonna be unpopular…That's why we don't have insane asylums anymore ;)

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

No that's obviously not, are you impaired in some way?

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

No, I'm just trying to show people what a real unpopular opinion is. Popular opinion on institutionalization for the criminally insane has already swung back in favor of pro.

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

Why?

by Traditional_Horse571 4 weeks ago

Interacting with unreasonable and sometimes violent people is hard enough. The people on the frontlines deserve the ability to use discretion without fear of losing their jobs.

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

I'm a paramedic- aka someone often in the situations you describe. There are plenty of deescalation techniques that would pass the test of oversight- the people who aren't okay being watched are often the ones with the least scruples.

by JackfruitDefiant8279 4 weeks ago

Do you know the history of abuse in institutions like this? No oversight would lead to a lack of standards and an increase in abuse

by Traditional_Horse571 4 weeks ago

First, do you oppose institutionalization for the criminally insane? In a vacuum, I do. However, I also prefer corporal punishment to imprisonment for sane criminals. And, not in a vacuum, I'd try that first and see how many crazy people we have left.

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

Yes and then no on corporal punishment

by Traditional_Horse571 4 weeks ago

Well... being the US it will be stupid expensive.

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

Ripe with corruption

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

So you're saying it could work?

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

Just because they're not called asylums anymore doesn't mean they don't exist and fulfill the same basic needs. There are a lot of mental health institutions that are watched over and successful. They never went away, they just got renamed and rebranded. The reason most homeless people aren't in those places is simply because they can't afford it and the government doesn't care enough to make the stuff they need affordable

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

I think from a pure perspective of how many mental health facilities and capacity for them to hold people in beds in the 1960s and now, it's dramatically less capacity.

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

It's harder to have higher capacity when your humans rights standards are slightly higher

by Alexanemcdermot 4 weeks ago

Have you ever worked or been in a mental health facility? I have. I'm not saying we should be going back necessarily to 1960s standard of care but there really isn't much difference between then and now in general care of a mental health patient. Drug them up, sedate them if they become violent or disruptive, put them in a padded room with a straight jacket, try to have them access to professionals to monitor them and adjust medication and psychologists to help deal with issues however they can. But the primary purpose is to keep them safe and away from general society until they can function. Sometimes that's never. But again we have dramatically less capacity to do so now than we did 60 years ago purely from a funding and infrastructure standpoint. Just being able to monitor these people and keep them safe and off the streets would be a dramatic improvement for many homeless now who have serious mental health conditions and nowhere to go.

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

because they discovered cramming a bunch of people into a building with not enough supplies or people to care for them resulted in spread of disease, worse outcomes for treatment oh and then theres the whole neglect and abuse issues

by Ancient_Cat2632 4 weeks ago

I don't think being hauled away in a straight jacket was ever something that required being financially sound.

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

It does unless you're gone enough to be a risk to society and get caught for a crime. OP didn't specify criminals and most addicts or people with mental issues bad enough to be homeless aren't dangerous enough to make the government pay for their rehabilitation.

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

While we do need better mental health care here, I'm not sure Asylums are the right way to go. When people end up in one, they seldom leave. It becomes a place for society to stuff inconvenient people. We do have inpatient facilities still, but they're mostly privately owned and often terrible places. Better mental health care means funding actual help for people instead of just medicating them. I'm in treatment for bipolar, and my counselor can only allot me 15 minutes once a month, much of which is just discussion of how my medication is doing. It's enough to keep me marginally okay, unless something bad happens, then it takes several months before I work through it on my own. If we had Asylums I likely would be in one, because I'm never quite "okay".

by Sorry_Assumption3735 4 weeks ago

this this this I get the feeling when OP says "drug addictions" and "mentally ill people" theyre envisioning violent, erratic, staring-into-space stereotyped mental illness, and not depression, bipolar, panic attacks, PTSD, or anything else we have actual therapy and meds for now.

by Ancient_Cat2632 4 weeks ago

I think the term you're looking for is "mental health inpatient" which absolutely exists for the populations you described. There's also halfway houses and sober housing for addicts. Group homes, assisted living, inpatient and outpatient services available for those with mental illness. The systems aren't perfect by any means but they certainly do a better job than a "mental asylum".

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

Oh trust me I am well aware. I'm just saying I don't think asylums are a good answer.

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

one flew over the cuckoo's nest

by Vonruedenterrel 4 weeks ago

Electro-shock therapy is still used, just less non-consensually.

by Sufficient-Lock 4 weeks ago

My friend has had excellent results for drug resistant depression responding to shock. It is way different that it used to be. Not the first thing that should be tried but still useful for some folks who have tried many other things and are still spiralling.

by Syblegoldner 4 weeks ago

Conversion therapy. Zap the gay away!

by HorseOk3616 4 weeks ago

I meant real medicine. It can help treatment-resistent depression.

by Sufficient-Lock 4 weeks ago

No thanks. I'd rather go with Psychedelic Therapy.

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

I disagree.

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

There are many mentally ill homeless people who would benefit from a place like this. Obviously with better, more humane care than in the past.

by Important-Pay 4 weeks ago

That's just it they are poor. Poor people don't get inpatient care UNLESS they are a danger to society and get arrested first.

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

So zap the poverty away? 🤦

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

Because Hollywood is always accurate and factual

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

Dude, if we did this then billionaires would have to be slightly less rich.

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

Oh no, how will they survive?

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

I agree but the big problem is going to remain that supreme court ruling in the 1970s which caused most of the asylum to be closed in the first place.

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

100%. This should be common sense.

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

Sorry it's been privatized. This is what happens when public services become privatized. We suffer because only people with money get access to it

by thartmann 4 weeks ago

We're looking at you Philadelphia!

by Lefflerjonathon 4 weeks ago

nah, I had severe epilepsy and was forced to take medication that was also used to treat bipolar disorder even though I don't have any mental illness. I hated every second of it and doctors resorted to giving me blood tests every week to make sure it was in my system Turns out no medication would have worked and the only thing that would have fixed me was brain surgery. And even after the surgery they were trying to keep me on the medication. Been med free almost 3 years now and I've never been happier. I don't think people realize how trapped you feel being forced to take pills that effect your mood and you value those small moments where you kinda feel the effects ware off before your forced to take more pills It's honestly my biggest fear that when im in my 80-90s I'll be put back in that situation again where im forced to take pills I don't want to take. Those years made me realize no adult should be forced to take anything they don't want to take even if it does end up killing them.

by Professional_Seat 4 weeks ago

"Mr. McMurchy, if you don't swallow your medication, we'll just have to find another way for you to take them. You won't like it."

by Claudinenolan 4 weeks ago

I fully disagree with this, especially if you're talking about them in the sense as they were when they were prevalent. No we need an actual better system for treatment than that. Like others have said, the notion that we need to focus more help and resources on these people isn't unpopular. What I'm really curious about though is what you mean by remission? Like a large section of the population that I've worked with who would fall under the institutionalized umbrella aren't getting better. There is no better, they are simply as they are.

by macytowne 4 weeks ago

It's great in theory but doesn't work. Mental asylums are like our penal system and senior retirement homes. The staff just aren't paid enough to deal with what society deems as unfit. Our prison system is not rehab at all, it has a high return rate and it's not surprising why. Retirement homes have staff that abuse the elderly. Even when mental asylum were open before, there are plenty of cases of staff abusing patients. You're basically saying that we need places to remove those we deem unfit and allow them to be abused and not be able to do anything about it

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

If you eliminate the penal system, our cities would be overwhelmed with criminals, just as they're currently overwhelmed with homeless people.

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

They still exist but they just aren't called that anymore, I'm going into mental health work and the problem with asylums was that many of the patients were abused and not cared for. Another big problem is a lot of health care workers are scared to work with this population as they are higher risk and pretty much all of healthcare is struggling due to being understaffed. Lastly this would cost a lot and people don't like to spend their money.

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

Agree totally. I live near a city in the PNW (not Portland) that is just a gd mess. Hubby did a job down there (contractor) and he said it was like working in an outdoor insane asylum with people screaming and tearing at their hair. Horrible.

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

Heavy, heavy oversight is key. Mental asylums have a dark history It's always sunny has a good bit about this though. Where Dennis wants asylum open but doesn't want to pay more taxes to fund them. Very accurate to how many people would feel in real life

by Traditional_Horse571 4 weeks ago

Canada would like to sign up for this too please and thank you

by Langkiel 4 weeks ago

yeah we're seeing how well thats working out for disabled/mentally ill people.... "just use MAID!"

by Ancient_Cat2632 4 weeks ago

Run loose? Are they dogs?

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

There is no profit in rehabilitation

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

what you are advocating for is socialism

by Jayceeffertz 4 weeks ago

They do exist…. I've been admitted to one

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

We call these inpatient healthcare facilities now.

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

Or, and this is a wild, crazy, totally nutty idea that may make me the devil in some people's eyes... Are ya ready? We fix the housing issues. Oh look at that. Suddenly people have stability, which is like, the #1 killer of drug use, and allows them a footing to seek proper treatment. You may now burn me alive for my witchcraft. I'll provide the wood, as my username demands.

by ejakubowski 4 weeks ago

Wow, so easy. How exactly do we that? Lots of first world countries are struggling with it. Almost as if it's extremely difficult or something.

by InsuranceGood 4 weeks ago

theres lots of economic theories on how too do it, its just that it wont happen because the people who benefit from keeping it the same are the ones who can make the changes

by Ancient_Cat2632 4 weeks ago

Shouldn't we assess the needs of patients, and deficiencies in the existing system before declaring which solution to implement?

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

Maybe start with some basic mental health services.

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

On Oct. 31, 1963, President John F. Kennedy signed a bill meant to free many thousands of Americans with mental illnesses from life in institutions.

by madelynbradtke 4 weeks ago

Google is like, right there man. We don't have to lie. Support whichever party you want but lying does nothing but make an ass out of yourself when we have unlimited access to information.

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

Ronald Reagan had people committed over weed.

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

Lmk when a Dem actually pushes through Medicare for all…which is the only solution to this problem

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

Too easy to abuse by authorities.

by Jean71 4 weeks ago

This is what people want to do with money that would be defunded from the police

by ToeBusiness97 4 weeks ago

Lol no sane person is going to want to work at this facilities and get attacked by one of these crazy people

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

Yes

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

Try universal healthcare, a strong welfare safety net and high minimum wage. You'd be surprised how much better people feel mentally when they're supported. Of course plenty of people need extra help, but you can reduce demand on that help with basic support.

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

We have the House of Representatives.

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

We need universal Healthcare. Our country looks the way it does because we don't invest in it.

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

Yeah we gotta bring em back but safer

by Upbeat-Share1157 4 weeks ago

Wouldnt work here. Or, rather it wouldnt be supported by anyone. And by anyone, i mean policy makers. And even if it was, take a look at why we did away with them in the past. We need a cultural shift more than anything.

by Academic-Tea5024 4 weeks ago

They'd fill up faster than prisons.

by Proof-Republic-8874 4 weeks ago

I feel like we could just improve current mental health services instead of replacing them with the same thing but with more historical ethical baggage. Idk how you think the mentally ill and addicted are running lose, most either wind up getting jailed/imprisoned especially where mental health is already largely ignored.

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

They exist bro. I've been there. Many times

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

Is that really that unpopular? Here's a hot take. Every homeless person on the street that has an obvious mental illness or drug addiction should be forcibly thrown into one of those places until they are able to be rehabbed if that's not possible for good

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

They still have facilities for the mentally incapable. Asylums were known for their abuse. The facilities now are heavily over sighted.

by summer88 4 weeks ago

We already have jail/prison with the largest incarcerated population in the current world…

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

Psych wards and rehab centers are still a thing in America. (At least in some places.) The problems start with accessibility. Without insurance checking yourself in a psych ward can cost around $1,000/day. A 30 day program for rehab can cost around $20,000 without insurance. It's cheaper just to get the hard drugs (I assume) or to be untreated for any mental disorder that you have without insurance, and insurance is kind of a luxury in America unfortunately.

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

We had a system that was better than nothing. Blame conservative icon Ronald Reagan

by Madilyn41 4 weeks ago

I agree and we need to hang drug dealers. no more coddling start throttling!

by Financial_Cod_7356 4 weeks ago

We have them here. I know a guy in his twenties who just got out of the mental hospital. He had a schizophrenic episode and murdered his landlord. And the Appalachian Trail killer I think is still in Butner. Mental hospitals still exist in America.

by Jarretsimonis 4 weeks ago

Poor Farms too. Put those tweekers to productive work growing vegetables and maintaining hiking trails.

by sfeeney 4 weeks ago

We have those today, they are called prisons…..

by Nitzschefurman 4 weeks ago

This is definitely not an unpopular opinion Unless you're a far-right Republican.

by irempel 4 weeks ago

Also special schools for challenged kids

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

So, you are saying that we should involuntarily commit people who have not committed any crimes and hold them for an indefinite period for their own good and the good of society. Do you also believe that we should shorten prison sentences of people who actually did commit crimes, or do away with bail to allow people suspected of serious crimes to roam the streets harming members of society?

by Jbartell 4 weeks ago

No I think OP means homeless people like the one who was eating a severed leg he found in a crash scene involving a train

by Beautiful-Deal-1321 4 weeks ago

What if they have committed crimes but done their time, and likely to commit again due to the mental illness?

by daniellejacobso 4 weeks ago

There are civil rights issues but let's not pretend that a profoundly ill schizophrenic homeless man who is smearing his feces on the walls of the train station isn't living his best life on the streets.

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

I did that for my mom after a suicide attempt. It wasn't fun at all. Thankfully, she wanted help, and she's better now. I also help my cousins and aunt do something similar to an uncle who was on meth and making veiled threats to the whole town. Unfortunately, he didn't think he needed it, then proceded to stalk and harass me before hitting me on the head with a shovel after he was let out. That was even less fun

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

This is scary because it's exactly how unvaccinated people like myself and many others were being described during Covid. In this day in age when everyone who disagrees with "muh factcheck.org facts and science and stuff" is considered mentally unstable by people who still think they were right about the vaccines, these types of policies can easily be applied nefariously.

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

No. No we don't. We already have helpful environments dedicated to helping with those needs. Mental health facilities need more funding. We don't need to split funding to places designed, by nature, to cause more harm

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

And insurance should cover more with regards to mental health. Just like regular doctors, many more people would be able to access support.

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

raise my taxes!?

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

Why don't just outsource to cheaper countries? Make a deal and send those Americans to asylums abroad.

by Lonnie68 4 weeks ago

100% agree.

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

Agreed 10000%

by Christiansenfay 4 weeks ago

This is actually a great idea.

by Eleanora15 4 weeks ago

and i though usa IS the mental asylum

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago

When I get a wife I'll send her there

by Anonymous 4 weeks ago