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Deinstitutionalization In The 1950s

355 Words2 Pages
In the mid 1950s, the majority of state mental institutions across the nation were suffering from overcrowding, understaffing, and deteriorating conditions. The United States recognized a need for change and began to seek out alternatives. Deinstitutionalization, the closing of state mental facilities, has been regarded as one of the most well-intentioned but poorly planned social reformations in United States history. Due to the introduction of the first effective antipsychotic medication, Chlorpromazine, in 1955 followed by the enactment of Medicaid and Medicare in 1965, severely mentally ill patients were discharged from mental institutions, new mentally ill patients were diverted away from these hospitals, and community based mental
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