Patricia Gottlieb Shapiro

Caring for the Mentally Ill

The treatment of mental patients has come a long way from the days when they were locked away and forgotten in dismal asylums. However, the question of what constitutes appropiate and humane care for the mentally ill still remains a controversial issue. In particular, the use of drugs to treat many forms of mental illness has made it possible for thousands of patients to be discharged from hospitals to live in local communities and neighborhoods.

This informative book offers special insight to the world of the chronic mental patient. Using case histories, it describes the problems faced by emotionally disturbed people, the facilities available to them in hospitals and in the community, and their prospects for independent survival. The book features a section on recent development in establishing the legal rights of mental patients, focusing on the issue of the patient's right to refuse treatment vs. the responsibility of society to provide that treatment.