
So true. And so pervasive. One of the side effects of modern pharmaceuticals was the 'Shrink Dividend' that politicians perceived. "It's easy ! They take a pill every day, and they are fine ! We don't need state mental facilities any more !". In fact the state mental hospital system has been replaced with the local, state, and federal penal system, and... the streets. Yes, we care for our homeless or abandoned pets better than we care for our mentally ill fellow humans.
"a study by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) showing than 64 percent of local jail inmates, 56 percent of state prisoners and 45 percent of federal prisoners have symptoms of serious mental illnesses"
[
www.nami.org]
And...
" People with untreated serious mental illness comprise approximately one-third of the total homeless population and an even higher percentage among homeless women and among individuals who are chronically homeless. The quality of life for these individuals is abysmal. Many are victimized regularly. One study found that 28 percent of homeless people with previous psychiatric hospitalizations obtained some food from garbage cans and 8 percent used garbage cans as a primary food source."
[
www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org]