Injustice for Mentally Ill?

Injustice for Mentally Ill?

Vincent van Gogh created some of his best work while receiving care for his mental illness. Would the same be true if he lived in present-day America? 

According to the Treatment Advocacy Center, cutbacks in mental health funding leave many would-be patients untreated and less protected by the social safety net. The center estimates that untreated mentally ill people are responsible for 10% of homicides, and make up 20% of the prison population and 30% of the homeless population. Not exactly creativity inspiring.

  —Gail Marie Kearns, Security Team, October 17

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Source: Gary Fields & Erica E. Phillips, “The New Asylums: Jails Swell With Mentally Ill,” The Wall Street Journal, 9/25/2013