Mental Illness
By: Tom Wang
My Thesis
Article: A Solution That Now Looks Crazy, The New York Times, January 14, 2014
Supporting details: "The N.I.M.H.'s own data showed that these centers were largely treating not people with severe mental illness, but those with "social maladjustment or no mental disorder"-- better known as the worried well."
This quote shows that they were only treating minor mental illnesses, not serious cases.
"Tragically, vast numbers of deinstitutionalized patients ended up in jails and prisons, in nursing homes or homeless on the streets."
This quote says that most deinstitutionalized patients were not treated effectively.
"It's true that effective treatment for mental illness would probably decrease violence in the community. But because only 4% of violence in the United States can be attributed to people with mental illness.
This quote says that since violence caused by people with a mental illness is low, it wouldn't make a difference if they were treated effectively. But, just because they don't cause a lot of violence doesn't mean that they shouldn't be treated effectively.