Deinstitutionalization has been described as the transportation of several mentally ill people from a mental institution into semi-normal living areas such as a halfway house or family housing with relatives and permanently closing the institution for reasons such as lack of funding, unmet quotas etc. It can be argued that deinstitutionalization has caused its fair share of problems. It can be argued that deinstitutionalization has no benefit whatsoever, but it does and among which is family members no longer have to worry about how their loved one is being treated. Deinstitutionalizing people have worked to the detriment of society but it also had benefits as well. There are some Pros and Cons of Deinstitutionalization.
List of Pros of Deinstitutionalization
1. Can Be Monitored by Close Ones.
The mentally ill person is released to their family members who choose to monitor their activity and make sure they get the help they need by ensuring that the mentally ill person is going to be okay under their supervision.
2. Learn to Function in Mainstream Society.
Mentally ill people are given a chance to function in mainstream society without being told what to do or be watched by mental health care professionals, they are practically given the freedom to do whatever they want as long as they’re not breaking the law.
3. Free to Seek Treatment in Other Ways.
They are free to seek their treatment in other ways and not feel like they have to go back to the asylum that they got out of. They are welcome to and are given different options on how they choose to pursue treatment for their mental problems.
List of Cons of Deinstitutionalization
1. Lack of Trust.
There’s a huge distrust among family members who are aware of the mentally ill person’s condition, family members may take steps to have the mentally ill person arrested and jailed out of fear of the mentally ill person’s unpredictability triggers and not wanting to be responsible for that person.
2. Will Refused to Take Medicine.
Mentally ill patients will feel that taking their medicine is no longer a necessity because they’ll fool themselves into thinking that they are well. Plus, there is no mental professional around to tell them that they should.
3. May Have Criminal Records.
Mentally ill patients may have prior records that ultimately led to them getting institutionalized in the first place and without them not being complete well, they will likely end up getting killed because there’s no way for them to get the help that they need nor anyone that care enough to help them.
In conclusion, when it comes to the pros and cons of deinstitutionalization, there is more cons than pros but it is a serious issue that has caused problems for people all over America. Deinstitutionalization is something that should not be taken lightly considering that not everyone is prepared to deal with a mentally ill person and someone could get hurt.
