That was what we had or were working towards until “deinstitutionalization” (prompted by the leftist lunacy that the mentally ill were just expressing their hatred of capitalism, combined with the right’s short-sighted penny-pinching).
Many large state institutions, although not necessarily snake pits, were certainly not ideal. But most were moving to a cottage system with supervised work and workshops, or even an external supervised housing and workshop system, with full institutionalization being reserved only for people who were completely unresponsive to any treatment and were threats to themselves and others or simply incapable of even functioning without assistance and even restraint.
Drugs have improved things a lot since the 1970s, but many of the drugs by themselves are less than optimum (some of the uninstitutionalized psychotic killers were actually taking drugs) and there needs to be much more research in this area. Gene therapy may also be a possibility someday.
But in the meantime, we need programs like the ones you have described. However, I don’t think that’s what Obamacare is aiming at.
Drugs have improved things a lot since the 1970s, but many of the drugs by themselves are less than optimum (some of the uninstitutionalized psychotic killers were actually taking drugs) and there needs to be much more research in this area. Gene therapy may also be a possibility someday.
But in the meantime, we need programs like the ones you have described. However, I don’t think that’s what Obamacare is aiming at.
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In the business the old drugs of the sixties and seventies are taking off again in popularity. Haldol, Thorazine, Stelazine, Clozaril, Lithium, Valium, Ativan, Librium.