HEALTH : U.S. Criticized on Mentally Ill
America has virtually abandoned the seriously mentally ill who cannot afford to pay for treatment, says a report released today by two advocacy groups.
More than 250,000 people with schizophrenia and manic-depressive psychosis live in public shelters, on the streets and in prisons and jails, the report by Public Citizen and the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill said.
Many others among the nation’s 2 million seriously mentally ill cannot afford medical treatment or adequate housing and live in communities where no vocational rehabilitation services are available, the groups say.
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