Mental Illness and Health Care Policy

Mental illness is discussed as a public health problem that is isolated from public health care policy formulation. Major issues that need to be considered are the lack of knowledge about the nature of mental illness & the negative consequences of deinstitutionalization. The disadvantages of returning to state psychiatric hospitals as the primary means of dealing with mental illness include overcrowding, poor quality of life for patients, & high annual cost per patient. It is argued that policymakers should foster integration of mental health services & general health services. The state's role in mental health care should be focused on providing secure care for dangerous individuals, ensuring crisis intervention capabilities, & providing long-term care for geriatric patients. It is concluded that a policy should focus on prevention rather than on institutionalization of the mentally ill. K. Carande