Beyond Deinstitutionalization: Unraveling the Complex Criminalization of Serious Mental Illness in America
Individuals with Serious Mental Illness (SMI) are disproportionately represented among the populations of the nation’s correctional facilities. Some have dubbed jails and prisons the “New Asylums” as the criminal justice system has become the de facto service provider for individuals with severe psychiatric disorders. It is commonly believed this trend is a tragic byproduct of a deinstitutionalization movement that began in the 1950s with the advent of new psychotropic medications and emerging calls for reform. As the census of state-operated psychiatric facilities dwindled to a fraction of its peak in the mid-20th century, incarceration rates among individuals with SMI have exploded. Many cite this inverse correlation as evidence of a “transinstitutionalization” wherein former (or would-be) hospital patients are now relegated to carceral settings ill equipped
The Kids Are Not Alright: How Seismic Changes in the Childhood Experience Have Undermined the Health of a Generation
By: Ashley Brody, MPA, CPRP Search for Change, Inc. Our nation’s youth are in crisis. Such a sweeping characterization of an entire demographic would ordinarily border on hyperbole, but as Robert F. Kennedy proclaimed when he announced his candidacy for the Presidency nearly 60 years ago, “These are not ordinary times.” In October 2021, the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and Children’s Hospital Association issued a joint statement that declared a National State of Emergency in Children’s Mental Health. This declaration enumerated several measures policymakers and governmental authorities must institute to address epidemics of anxiety, depression, suicidality, and associated indications of severe distress now prevalent among children and adolescents. These included increased federal funding to promote evidence-based screening, diagnosis, and treatment
A Unique and Insidious Grief: Losing a Loved One to Suicide
By: Ashley Brody, MPA, CPRP January 14th, 2025 Deaths by suicide are unquestionably tragic by any measure, but considerably more so when considered in the context of their impact on surviving family members. Most public health initiatives have logically targeted individuals at risk of suicide and promoted prevention efforts accordingly; fewer have addressed the complexities of decedent-survivor relationships and variables that influence survivors’ grief responses. An emerging body of research aims to illuminate factors that influence survivors’ responses and predispose them to prolonged grief, the onset or exacerbation of existing mental health conditions, and risk of suicide. Suicide is an exceptionally complex phenomenon and the subject of extensive analysis by clinicians, social scientists, philosophers, and theologians. The 19th Century sociologist Émile Durkheim’s seminal work on
An Epidemic Rages On: “Treatment” Is Not Enough
Unprecedented rates of substance abuse and mental illness have afflicted nearly every segment of our population in recent years. This intractable public health crisis has led healthcare professionals, policymakers, and other stakeholders to reexamine longstanding assumptions concerning the underpinnings of behavioral health and to consider novel (and controversial) interventions. Individuals with comorbid mental illness and Substance Use Disorder (SUD) encounter additional obstacles to effective care and are at significantly greater risk of poor health outcomes and other adverse events. This can be attributed, at least in part, to the prevalence of physical health conditions among those dually diagnosed with mental illness and SUD (Dickey et al., 2002). There are a host of other factors, however, that must be addressed to improve the health and overall
A Meditation on Mental Health Awareness Month by Ashley Brody
The month of May is recognized as such, and members of the behavioral health community customarily use this opportunity to hold special events and to educate the public on mental health-related issues. These activities generally aim to reduce stigma associated with mental and behavioral health concerns and to secure additional resources in pursuit of our shared missions. This observance is especially timely, as we are witnessing an unprecedented surge in the incidence of anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions. It seems no populations are exempt from this, but it has been especially acute among children and adolescents. Much has been (and will continue to be) written on the subject as public health experts, elected officials, and countless others speculate on its causes and potential