I agree Roadrunner...in general..people like to play the fear card and stigmatize any group that they can. But on the flip side, you also saw a huge media and public outcry when the mentally handicapped man was beaten by the 8? Fullerton, CA police officers a few months ago.

Obviously movies like Psycho and One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest among others, have badly damaged the image of both the mentally ill and the mental health system. The emptying of many of the state mental facilities in the early 70's only compounded the problem as many who were unable to take care of themselves became homeless and vagrants along with the rise in the drug addict populations.

But, there are more positive movies coming out now that show a lighter side and more positive slant. One in 5 families are now affected by someone with a serious mental disorder, and it will only rise as Alzheimer's cases and dementia cases rise with the aging population. There is a lot to consider, and we can't wait until tomorrow to begin to make changes and get honest if only in our own families and communities. I'm not a Pollyanna, nor on a soap box...just being real and doing what I can...

I know my kids will face a very different population landscape than I do now in just 20+ years. I don't think we'll be ready for the changes at all personally. The amount of support really needed for the patients and their families is nowhere near in place and those budgets are always the first to be slashed.

Personally, it scares me. I've seen the underbelly of mental healthcare here.

Wysteria Blue