Mental Health Policy In The United States: Critical Reflection And Future Directions For Sociological Research

This chapter provides an overview of the history of mental health policy in the United States divided into three periods: (1) the development and establishment of the state asylum as the primary mode of mental health treatment; (2) deinstitutionalization and the move to community-based care; and (3) recovery as the guiding vision of mental health care. Federal involvement is a relatively new development in mental health policy, a fact that has lead to significant fragmentation in the mental health care system. While a number of policies since the 1950s have sought to increase social inclusion and the ability for people with mental illness to control their own lives, lack of support for these policies has resulted in relatively slow actual change. However, recent national reforms have potential to make lasting and substantial change. Watson and colleagues describe these reforms and how they may lead to implementation of recovery-oriented principles by improving mental health care access and service quality. They close with a discussion of potential areas for sociological mental health research related to contemporary health policy. What are the gaps in current mental health policy? How can mental health policy promote recovery for people living with mental health problems?