Thanks for the interesting article. Just two political comments here, since this is a political forum:
1. I’m always fascinated and pleased that people post scholarly articles such as this one. You simply don’t find that kind of depth of thought over there on the left - I’m thinking about the Daily Kos and Democrat Underground.
2. Considering the concerns outlined in this article - how would the leftist agenda of including mental health services be included in their plans for socialized health care? I have a dark vision of government clinics handing out bottles of pills without a clue about the impact on the patient or society, or even a darker vision of the Cloward-Piven strategy to further burden the government into collapse.
Thanks and have a great 2009.
I can assure you Tom "Deeply Saddened" Dashle, who will be spearheading Obama's health care plan, is a STAUNCH supporter of the inclusion of mental health care as part of a comprehensive health coverage package for every American (I suspect this includes legal citizens and otherwise), which imo certainly is not an inappropriate position as such; but yes, I'd say as the current std of treatment often dictates a chemical approach as a first line plan of care that they will be dispensed in greater numbers as a result. That is, it seems to be the logical expected outcome if this health care initiative ever gets off the ground, and I think it will because it was probably the key voting issue that got him elected in the first place.(Our inability to adequately fund his far-flung vision notwithstanding.) Now there is a chance that if the approach to mental illness treatment evolves as its nature is fully apprehended, viewpoints like the author's could take hold and become mainstream, maybe then the tide will turn and we won't all be lining up for medication call like zombies on every neighborhood corner.