King’s Park was opened in 1885 and became a state hospital in 1895. Originally called a “lunatic farm” the hospital began with only a few wooden buildings and an intention to rehabilitate those with mental illnesses. By 1916 the hospital was entirely self-sufficient. With both staff and patients running the farms, kitchens, clothing, and cleaning, there was no need for outside interference. Despite being a prominent figure in the revolutionization of mental health rehabilitation, kings park was no starring entity of pure good and welfare. The horrors within have come to light in recent years, much in thanks to the documentary based on the personal experiences in the hospital. Stories of over-worked therapists, abuse by other patients and workers, and over tasked staff have arrisin, bringing a new prospect of understanding some reasons behind deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill.
There were many reasons for the deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill; from economic, social, and political topics, ultimately, the unfortunate demise of mental institutions was a long time in the running. One of the reasons behind this was that psychiatrists realized how many people were in the hospitals that shouldn’t have been, so they started letting people out in the masses, and with that, they let out many who shouldn’t have been let out. Additionally, many people believed that scientists had created a penicillin that cured psychosis. On the political side of things, yet another reason for deinstitutionalization was that during the 1960’s president Kennedy signed a bill to shut down mental institutions and replace them with therapeutic health centers. The idea was of good intent, but it was never followed through with. So the institutions got shut down, but there were very few therapeutic centers. In fact, not only did patients who were previously in places like kings park end up on the street, but also in prisons, nursing homes, and dead.
The deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill affected the social system profoundly. Since the 1960’s, people have been struggling to find ways to care for the severely mentally ill. Though this has been a series of trial and error, some instances have been successful. For example, The National Association of Suicide Prevention, section eight housing, and psychiatric wards in state and private hospitals have helped profoundly in both preventative and reactive programs surrounding mental health. One way in which human services was affected as a whole due to deinstitutionalization was in that it became a priority for communities to help care for one another now that those who were previously tucked away as the conventional “embarrassments of society” were neighbors. It became a need for programs to help the mentally ill become functioning members of society, and to supply programs to assist those who were unable to provide for themselves.Though there has been progression since the ‘60s, there is still much to be done. For example, we need to resolve the fact that there are ten times as many mentally ill people in jail, than there are in state funded psychiatric hospitals.
My opinion on the continued trend of deinstitutionalization is that it needs to be resolved. And fast. The fact that suicide is the tenth leading cause of death among all Americans, and the fourth leading cause among teens (homicide being third) speaks loudly for the state of mental healthcare in America. Of course we have made progression, but over 26% of Americans are diagnosed with a mental illness each year, and we still don’t have enough care for everyone.
(I had to stop here because one more sentence and It went to page three.)
Works Cited
About the Movie. (n.d.). Retrieved February 24, 2019, from https://kingsparkmovie.com/about-the-movie/
Kirsch, T. (2018, January 22). Kings Park Psychiatric Center. Retrieved February 24, 2019, from https://opacity.us/site3_kings_park_psychiatric_center.htm
LastWeekTonight. (2015, October 04). Mental Health: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO). Retrieved February 26, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGY6DqB1HX8
Lyons, R. D. (1984, October 30). HOW RELEASE OF MENTAL PATIENTS BEGAN. Retrieved February 24, 2019, from https://www.nytimes.com/1984/10/30/science/how-release-of-mental-patients-began.html
Mental Health Disorder Statistics & Facts. (n.d.). Retrieved February 26, 2019, from https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/healthlibrary/conditions/mental_health_disorders/mental_health_disorder_statistics_85,P00753
National Center for Health Statistics. (2010, May 05). Retrieved February 26, 2019, from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db37.htm
Double Sided 