Has the Deinstitutionalization of the Mentally Ill Worked - Book Report/Review Example

Some people argue that deinstitutionalization has worked in the sense that the majority of the patients find community-based care better than institutionalized care. The patients live with their community as they receive moral as well as material support from them. Deinstitutionalization has given the patients the freedom and thus the patients are in apposition to choose than unwillingly devoted and ordered treatment. Additionally, the patients live in their own houses and also contribute to the labor market.

On the other hand, there are other people who argue that deinstitutionalization did not work. According to them, deinstitutionalization has led to many patients roistering along the streets, public parks, libraries and bus, and train stations since they are homeless. This to a large extent causes insecurity to the pedestrians. Furthermore, others are in jails and prisons due to mental-related illness crime charges, while others are in nursing homes since they are homeless. After a careful analysis of the arguments from both sides, this paper finds that deinstitutionalization was not an off-hook policy, but rather a policy geared towards giving the patients freedom of making their own decisions and the community a chance to take responsibility for the patients.

However, this could have worked if implementations were well defined. So far deinstitutionalization has not worked to the expectations of the people.