General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: I get HIPAA, but sometimes it sucks. My Grandfather died this morning. [View all]yardwork
(61,588 posts)I'm not sure about the history, but it became illegal in the U.S. to involuntarily commit people decades ago. Before that, there was a lot of abuse. My great-grandmother died in a psychiatric institution to which she was involuntarily committed by her husband, who clearly just wanted to get rid of her. There was no evidence that she had any mental health problems, but her husband said she did, and in those days that's all it took. She died of pneumonia in a horrific institution.
So, sometime after WWII the U.S. changed those laws but that created a new problem - what to do about people who are obviously mentally ill but deny it and refuse to access care. And the mental health system has been so defunded - to the point of dismantling it in many states, that even when people want to access care they can't get it.
I'm so glad that you started this thread. This is a huge, huge problem in the U.S. and it's only going to get worse as our population ages. Again, I am so sorry for your family's loss and pain.