Posted by garnet71 on March 29, 2009, at 10:53:32
In reply to Re: Are ADs As Advertised? » Garnet71, posted by yxibow on March 29, 2009, at 9:49:37
I don't know, Yxibow. I'm no statician, but there's a gizillion studies about this subject. Correlated with the Reagan Administration's systematic closure of mental hospitals and state institutions were skyrocketing prison rates (in terms of percentage of the adult population). The juvinille incarceration of mentally ill youth is a huge problem and the rates are much higher than the adult prison population if i remember correctly--it's actually pathetic and sad. There's a detailed report to Congress on the subject of attempted suicide rates and mental health issues among our incarcerated youth that you should read, if your interested. It is shocking. I'll have to find it. At the same time, since the 80s, access to health care has had a steep decline. You do realize that the U.S. prison population is huge in comparison with other countries--double that of some--and consider that every developed nation besides the U.S. provides health care to its citizens.
I'm not pulling up all the stats I've seen, instead, I think I'm going to take my ADD meds now and divert my attention to tasks I really should be doing.
:))
"Increasing reliance on the justice system to care for individuals with mental illness. This trend has been clearly documented for the adult population. A report to Congress (Center for
Mental Health Services, 1995:iii) found: As jail and prison populations increased, and the number of persons with mental illness living at the fringe of their communities rose, the absolute number of persons with mental illness in jails and prisons also increased. The survey-based study Criminalizing the Seriously Mentally Ill (Torrey et al., 1992:iv) also concluded:
Our jails have once again become surrogate mental hospitals. Various other studies have confirmed that large proportions of individuals in the Nations jails and prisons are seriously mentally ill. For example, Teplin (1990) reported prevalence rates of 6.4 percent for male jail
inmates and 15 percent for female jail inmates. The most recent study released by the U.S. Department of Justice reported that 16 percent of State prisoners were identified as mentally ill
(Ditton, 1999). Such findings buttress the view that [j]ails and prisons have become the nations new mental hospitals
poster:garnet71
thread:887528
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20090322/msgs/887581.html