Fifty years of failing America’s mentally ill

Basically the libs have experimented and used the Mentally ill and the mentally retarded. Both of those systems, like our military, are being used for great social experiments. There are advocates right now out there demanding we eliminate the word “diagnosis” from our vocabulary. Why is it that libs always want to eliminate words?

I was in a meeting many years back, about the closing of a hospital for the MR. The hospital was going to be closed down and all of the residents, regardless of the severity of their MR, would be placed in community living situations. In these hospitals the residents had complete safety. They had the run of the grounds. It was an isolated rural hospital. Many of the residents were used to walking from building to building on their own. On site, there were nurses, doctors and all the medical equipment needed for emergencies.

Now, I remember a particular meeting about a particular resident who was highly dangerous, hard to control and frequently roamed. this individual had enough Haldol in him alone to knock out 5 adults for a week… but it was just one of many drugs he was on. He was a dangerous individual. Had a history of running out of buildings into the courtyards and such… but the staff were used to him and the hospital grounds were safe for him.

But elitists utopians had other plans. They placed him in a community setting.. because that’s what their ideology called for. To the elitists utopians, there is no such thing as MR. Mental retardation is another group of words they want to get rid of. In fact, in that agency now, stating the word “retardation” is considered abusive. These individuals have been abused by the hospital system and need to be set free and have a normal life just like you or I. So you can live in a house, this individual should be able to also. Sounds so wonderful doesn’t it.
Well.. that individual ran out of his house and into the street several times a week. Endangering himself and others. He was a constant threat to the neighbors and himself. Breaking walls and windows, etc. Hurting staff. He had been transported often to the ER. Because that was the answer for the community system…. we don’t need nurses and doctors and specialized equipment on location.. we have 911 and the ER.

The strain that has been placed on the ER is so very real. That was the SOP for everything in the MR system. A resident falls back onto a couch, their head lands on a pillow.. 911 must be called and the individual taken to the ER.
In that same hospital meeting about another resident who was MR and also had severe physical limitations. Was frequently attended to by doctors and nurses. Hospital staff would ask the head of our committee.. “This individual needs A, B or C… how will you care for her?” Our committee leader would respond.. “We will call 911. She will be transported to the ER.”

We don’t need new fixes. We need to go back to what worked. But I don’t see that happening anytime soon. Our government is too corrupt and we lack men of courage and vision on our side. It will only get worse.

But I will bet my last paycheck on this one thing... as we continue to “normalize” retardation and mental illness and push community placement for dangerous sick individuals…. the same corrupt system is going to continue to treat sanity and innocence as sick and dangerous.

The same people who would push to free a dangerously retarded or mentally ill adults into community living will be the same system that will lock up a normal sane man who works 40 hours a week, doesn’t break any laws and loves his family.. but believes in the right to own a gun and carry a Bible.

JellyToast on February 5, 2013 at 9:37 AM