Do you think the government dumps the mentally ill and addicted onto the street in order to save money?

Question

No jails, drug rehab centers, mental hospitals, group homes, etc. Some of these people can be helped in rehab, shelters and group homes. Some would respond to treatment and others should be in custody. Why does the government do this, do they really believe that people will 'just integrate' back into society? I think they do it to avoid having to pay for it.

Also a lot of people because of personal politics and ideology insist on allowing these people to wander the streets hopelessly using drugs and harming themselves-malnutrition, eating out of garbage cans, catching pneumonia, HIV, dying of overdose and exposure, so that they can get paid for 'helping' these people. Without them out there, they wouldn't have a public industry to benefit from. Also their left-wing ideology and ideas about personal freedom and social engineering lead them to the false conclusion that the system for the homeless is working. Just my ideas...

Answer 1

I think that you are right. In my home state these people used to be given treatment in state run facilities. In the 60's they started mainstreaming them because it cost too much to house them. It is almost impossible to have a mentally ill person committed for more than three days. They evaluate them, get them past the immediate crisis, whatever that may be, and then out on the street. I find it odd that we have enough money for a lot of frivolous programs but never enough for the truly necessary programs.  I guess it all comes down to who spends what, and where in order to get reelected.

Answer 2

No it will be a bigger problem for them if they do this. Higher crime rate is a very good example. The government has a lot of problems to deal with sometimes other things are forgotten. It is not a sole responsibility of the government but of the society or community as a whole.

Answer 3

You're singing my song, here comes the chorus:

YES!

The government likes to cover it up. Saying 'oh look we'll close this mental hospital, and we'll take allll those patients that were put in there for a reason in the first-place - pump them full of drugs and 'reintegrate' them in society.' They can get jobs! They can contribute! ...and pay tax to the government that threw them out on their asses.

Promises of help. Promises they won't be left behind. Plans, plans and more plans. Most of which we hear of once and never again and are definitely no implemented; few which are implemented by do nothing and there is nothing to say they ever would beforehand or ever will in the future and usually contribute to the problem rather than fix it.

Meanwhile clinic number 1 now void of those pesky mental patients and drug addicts...



{-who will either become a burden on their family (which would fuel their condition)

-unable to take care of themselves (and spend the rest of their lives begging for food, money or jobs assuming they're even able to do that much)

-Or hey...Dead! (Yeah that's it! Dead people don't vote! Who cares what happened to a mental patient who somehow ended up dead after the clinic that was helping to keep them alive turned into a pumpkin)}

...is now an million dollar luxury apartment complex.

Answer 4

It's a big combo of reasons, not just the govt alone.  Lack of help from others and society as a whole.  Expensive medical care.  Mental illness.  Crime.  Poverty.  Racism.  Drugs.  And people who 'want' to be on the street and do nothing to get off the street.

Answer 5

No, I don't think that, I know that to be a fact.

Check back a number of years ago when Ronald Reagan was president, the answer lies there.

He turned scores of mentally ill loose in the streets to save money because his advisors told him that mental illness was not detrimental to the health and we could ill afford to house them.

Answer 6

My dear you are totally correct on each point ; yes the government are purposely doing all that misery ; for all the reasoned you mentioned

Answer 7

what? no they just hate them because according to them there not good enough.

Answer 8

I think your ideas are right on target.  With the current administration the funding of war is much more important than the funding of social services.  I have been dealing with this within my own family for the past year and still see no hope in sight for my granddaughter. ~D

Answer 9

With the advance in meds to treat mental illness, there's  been a policy in many western countries for the better part of 50 years to treat sufferers without the need for them being institutionalised. Facilities like these are usually only for those likely to harm themselves or others...or those completely incapable of looking after themselves. Without proper supervision of medication, many sufferers go off their meds, can no longer conform to societal norms because of their illness and end up on the street.

Now, some might see it as political cost cutting, and there is an argument to suggest that politicians in countries like the US, Australia, UK etc. would have jumped at the chance to save money on those who are unable to contribute to society in any accepted way. But I think it's a little harsh to suggest society wants 'em dead and gone.

Answer 10

No, they just need help

Answer 11

most people in this world dont like the idea of helping others before they help themselves and thats what is happening here. they dont want to have to take care of thoughs who cant help themselves, because then they become their responsibility and the government cant have that levrege over them, so they just dont care and hope that everything is "ok".

Answer 12

The government cannot force them to go to mental hospitals, rehab or anyplace else (unless they break the law, then they can).  This was a court ruling back in the 60's or 70's that forced the government to release mentally ill people from institutions.

Answer 13

Depends...in Europe where Human Rights is big, they are cared for.There is a legitimate expectation that this will be provided.In a capitalistic world-noone cares about them.Hence many Vietnam marines are walking around aimlessly-sad.In Asia, unless you are in Singapore/Korea you may find some help-otherwise being those nations are still developing-very little care for the mentally impared but medecine is free in Europe and Asia.

Answer 14

Why should people  ->rely<- on jails, drug rehab center, mental hospitals, group homes, churches etc to live in a country that is deliberately turning family against each other for prophet?  

After all, "there is no difference between right and wrong" and "everybody is doing it right"?

Answer 15

** I dont think they do it to save money - more likely they have to do it because they have not allocated enough funds to begin with