Summary Of On Being Sane In Insane Places

Mental illness strikes—without regard—through age, race, ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status across the United States; yet, mental health care may be one of the country’s largest unmet need of the twenty-first century. As a whole, the country has moved away from demonology—by scientifically educating society—and mental asylums—through the process of deinstitutionalization. However, what remains is societal stigma towards the mentally ill and a surplus of uncared for ill individuals. Scientists and psychologists have discussed and ran experiments, as seen in Rosehan’s historical piece, “On Being Sane in Insane Places”, concentrated on mental health in the United States. And, as seen in Montross’s op-ed entitled, “The Modern Asylum”,

With the release of thousands of patients from public mental hospitals, known as deinstitutionalization, outpatient care became and remains the primary mode of treatment for individuals with moderate and severe mental illnesses. The community institutional treatment approach focuses on community-based programs that allow individuals suffering from mental disorders to live in their community. Montross argues that deinstitutionalization has now become “transinstitutionalization” (Montross). Mentally ill individuals are repeatedly being passed between the mental health and criminal justice systems, which results in “less appropriate and more expensive” care (Montross). Though deinstitutionalization treatment is a controversial topic, many agree that managed care programs—the dominant form of coverage for insured people—cause health care providers to reject or not fully treat clients. In other words, the system does not always properly serve individuals who are mentally

In other words, if an individual is diagnosed as mentally ill, the person may be given psychotropic medications—antidepressants, antianxiety, or antipsychotics. If the drugs do not sufficiently aid the individual’s mental health, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), if appropriate, may be used. And if ECT proved insufficient, psychosurgery may be conducted. Furthermore, if none of the biological treatment aids the individual’s health, institutionalization should be implemented. If the individuals’ health improved enough for them to be released, they could be released into a federal, community-based program, where an individual, like a “parole officer”, could monitor the patients’ mental health. In my opinion, this process of treatment would not lead to overcrowded asylums or uncared for mentally ill