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1. Grob tells us: “Whatever its contradictory and tangled origins, deinstitutionalization had positive consequences for a large part of the nation’s severely and persistently mentally ill population.” (292) Is America still doing a good job with deinstitutionalization? Why are there an estimated 78,000 people living on the streets of NYC? (Statista.com – April 2021) This article addresses the relationship between homelessness and mental illness:
2. The 20th century developments reading mentions Alcoholics Anonymous as the “quintessential” self-help group. (373) Statistics show AA has a fairly high success rate.* Why do you think this program works?
3. Summers chapter nine does a terrific job of explaining the awful racism regarding the African American psyche and how this affected the treatment of those who were mentally ill. One key factor was social class and Summers illustrates this when he mentions the absence of mental health clinics in Black neighborhoods. (273) How much has really changed? Do the inner-city poor get access to the same mental health care available to Fredericksburg’s gentry?
Submitted by Bonnie Akkerman I pledge…
1.If the DSM had its origins in the military at what point did the insurances companies get involved in its establishment?
2. It is talked about that St. Elizabeths suffered from a lack of funding during the Vietnam war era leading to a shift to non-profits and private organizations to provide community mental health care. Do you think in the modern day that this is still the case or has it returned to the government based care system as seen before?
-Parker Siebenschuh
1. The DSM-III introduced the diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Why do you think this was such a crucial moment in the history of mental health? Why is the DSM-III itself so important?
2. What is Feminist Therapy and how does it apply to existing social and gender norms? Would you say feminist thought has had an critical impact in the field?
– Lyndsey Clark