Alcohol Treatment: Drug Rehabilitation Facts

Question: What will happen if mental health and alcohol treatment centers are closed?

(Posted by: Patti on 2009-11-22 15:15:20)

In cities? There is one being "merged " with an adolescent unit in town, even the local legislator says it's just a sneaky way to shut it down. About 500 patients use it per year. Do you think closing it down will increase the crime rate? The legislator says it will end up costing the state more than leaving it open, it costs $16, 000 and up to house a prisoner. I think that crimes involving alcohol and drugs and psychotic people will increase if the center is closed. We already got people living in the woods near Wal- mart and suspect that they go there to eat their way through the store and steal spray- paint to sniff while in the woods. Police have found empty cans of paint and large pieces of carpet they cover themselves in and said that they sleep there. Just wondering about when the woods get over- crowded and they come into the neighborhoods. The homeless shelters are over capacity as it is when the weather is bad.

Posted by: Diane M on 2009-11-22, 15:24:18

The crime rate will go up and there will be a lot more people not able to support themselves by working. It's always better to get help for an addiction than to just punish someone because of it. These are illnesses and should be treated as such

Posted by: wasacon on 2009-11-22, 15:25:01

Yes. The people that are using the services have to go somewhere. So they will end up in ERs with no insurance, crime will go up, prisons will take some of the burden, some folks will end up in mental units and/ or nursing homes (because I guess they have lots of money to provide care?) Also, I think I can guarantee that some people that use these services are employed, and without this care and counseling they will lose what jobs they have. Sounds like a lose/ lose to me.

Posted by: Manu on 2009-11-22, 15:26:48

You're right - without such foundations of society repair, who is responsible for undoing the damage we are doing to ourselves? People going to alcohol treatment centers are those who *want* to change themselves, realizing their mistakes - but if they're not given the second chance they deserve, they would turn to unlawful activities in frustration. But then again, we're in a controlled society - everything is owned and run by bureaucrats - hence there's nothing honest people like you and me can do... I appreciate your question, though.

Posted by: Steffie on 2009-11-22, 15:28:24

I'm not sure of the date but I think it was in the early 70's, funding was cut for people living in mental institutions. What happened was a sudden appearance of homeless population, bridge people. They were people who had mental illnesses and needed assistance to stay on medications. Not sure what will happen with the next round of cuts, we already have mentally ill people living on the streets. Not only are they cutting the centers but prisons funding is being cut also. Judges will have no where to send criminals and drugs will be more available for recreational use. Hard to say what will happen, it is a sobering thought.

Posted by: Katie M on 2009-11-22, 15:30:17

We'll likely see more crime but I think one of the most noticeable things will be the people who are destined to become homeless. There are some programs that shouldn't be cut but unfortunately programs dealing with mental health, children's services, schools and substance abuse are usually the first to go. How can this happen? It seems a crime to cut so many of these programs.

Posted by: Kwe' on 2009-11-22, 15:41:24

Not a person will be safe!! They closed down a mental hospital around here and they all ended up in nursing homes. How sad our elders have to have these people dumped on them in their tender years! They ended up closing down the home because one big disturbed guy was raping the elders!!! If your from where I think your from you probably know the story about Hominy!!

Posted by: mrwizard on 2009-11-22, 15:51:38

I consider these treatment centers as----last chance in help With out them---sucide rates will probably increase right along with Just plain old---The body giving up to the non-treatment to their disease Only in the case of [hard drug use], do I see an increase in crime

Posted by: ' Empty Nester ' on 2009-11-22, 16:11:00

I don't know which city you live in, and I don't know just how much of an effect the closure of just one of these facilities will have on the crime rate involving alcohol and drugs, but I'm sure that if this becomes a nationwide trend, it will definitely have a negative impact on the occurrence of such crimes...

Posted by: E-ma on 2009-11-22, 16:35:56

They become "prisoners " looking for 3 hots & a cot. They are left out as homeless. When the bad weather hits, they commit crimes to be locked up and have a place to stay & get some medical care. Our town took the homeless off of the streets. What does that mean? They are now in hiding areas of woods near the parks where the children play. They are in all the undeveloped areas around the city in little "campsites. " I didn't know this untill I talked with some of these folks. They commit small enough crimes to not have a violent record & do hard time, but just enough to get into the city & county jail for a few weeks or months until their teeth get fixed so they can eat again. Or their diabetes get back under check w/ some jail house prescriptions. They are still a tax payer burden, one way or the other. At least w/ the treatment centers, some have hope of getting back on their feet & becoming productive. This economy has too many people thinking short term & making bad choices b/ c of that. Of course, you also can't bleed a turnip. You can just put a new media spin on it.

Posted by: Laurie on 2009-11-22, 16:47:04

When Reagan was governor of Ca, his administration closed all Mental hospitals in the state. What we saw then is still very apparent now. Thousands of homeless mentally ill people wandering the streets, who are not monitored to take their medicine or even pick it up. Now medical will no longer pay for a mentally ill person to see a psychiatrist. This is effecting thousands of people who will be victims of violent crimes by unscrupulous individuals who prey on the sick, weak and the poor

Posted by: ssparkle63 on 2009-11-22, 17:29:36

I think by doing this, they will promote more crime therefore providing more jobs for cops. and social workers. So what is the answer----this way they can say they have new jobs.. and Obama is the king..

Posted by: Kristen on 2009-11-22, 17:59:43

The whole world will go insane. I will probably end too.

Posted by: elaangel on 2009-11-22, 21:30:22

Well I don't know about over there but here in Australia, the mental health centers might as well close, because they are useless....

Posted by: Strange Brew on 2009-11-22, 21:30:58

We will see a hike in murders of the mentally ill and alcohol/ drug dependent people. They are easy pickings for thugs. The Missions will over flow and so will the churches.

Posted by: jd on 2009-11-23, 08:07:21

I wish I could say it's going to get better but I don't think so.

Posted by: Judith S on 2009-11-23, 10:55:57

Ugggh, such a hard issue- sometimes I think George Romero's "Night of the Living Dead " was just a celluloid metaphor for the homeless, the mentally ill, the indigent (please, I hope no one misunderstands what I'm saying there) The country has a responsibility to it's citizens, and of course mentally fit folks have a responsibility to help themselves. More centers should be opened, not closed, but let's also reopen some steel mills, textile mills, some cell phone factories, etc., so we can put more folks to work, including our young people. The less we have to offer citizens, as a country, in the genre of employment, the population suffering from addiction, depression and other mental illnesses (often escalated by poor nutrition) will continue to rise. There have been hard times before, and people weathered the storm, we're adaptable, but this is a different kind of storm, with no end in sight. My final answer, more mental health facilities, more factories, more love all around.

Posted by: fifty-plus on 2009-11-23, 19:49:01

It really saddens me to hear of such stories. I don't have any relatives or friends diagnosed with mental illness but I have a special place in my heart for the mentally ill. They can not think rationally to care for themselves and those that are suppose to be rational don't seen to care. I am certain that if they cared for them they could find a couple of things in the city or state budgets to cut in order to help the mentally ill. They just don't care, probably until it hits home. I use to think that the community could demand that the elected officials do more, but then I found out that a lot of people in the community don't care either, until it hits home. What you wrote has happened in my city also, an adolescent psych. facility was closed down. No compassion.

Posted by: sportyhorses on 2009-11-26, 18:14:19

Crazy drunks everywhere, oh wait, thats already happening

Posted by: A. E. Moreira on 2009-11-28, 06:21:24

Some hard decisions have to be made. Perhaps what should be done is housing these centers in hospitals instead of stand-alone centers, especially if rent is being paid (as opposed to the center owning its own property).