Posted by Jay on February 27, 2007, at 11:23:21
In reply to Re: From 'Inmates' to 'Clients'.. » Jay, posted by Phillipa on February 26, 2007, at 21:43:00
> Jay you know though in a way it reminds me of what has happened in the USA. Especially familiar in NYC the street people living in boxes with shopping carts flowing with trash are the attempts of deinstitutionalizing the mentally ill here. Love Phillipa
I think the problem also, Phillipa, is that when governments 'deinstitutionalized' people, they also cut off the money to them. They said that the focus moved to a 'community-living based' model, but without money, how is 'anything' supposed to happen? So people where dumped on the streets, deprived of desperately needed medication, and forced to live in homelessness, poverty, and squalor. Also, regarding the medication, I've heard some good people and researchers say that back then, the doctor's prescribed way, way too high of doses of meds. That's why people seemed so lost and docile.Even though, many of the clients I work with (some who have developmental handicaps, along with behaviours..etc.) are still being prescribed Largactil (chlorpromazine) But, I would say the younger ones, the newer clients, usually get the atypical antipsychotics.
We need to get governments back to spending quality investment money in community and institutional mental health. I could absolutely never understand how they expect someone to pay for, say a couple of the new medications that are out there. I was surprised, though, recently here in Canada to find that Effexor XR had gone generic.
Jay
poster:Jay
thread:736569
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