There was a massive push for de-institutionalization for very good reasons, even apart from the abuse. Most of these people could live in society and have relatively productive lives. It's better for most mentally ill people to be with families than in an asylum. De-funding surely played a role, but all in all, the move toward community mental health care was a compassionate one.
That said, I don't think media (television, movies) are to blame for the bad rap mental hospitals get. They are a fucking horrible substitute for care. They're only purpose is to keep you from killing yourself or someone else within their walls. The drug abuse community and the mental health community are so mixed up that every single person who enters these low-rate hell holes is treated like a drug addict. Anxious people are forced to sit in line waiting for meds while addicts scream at the nurses about the time they prefer to take their methadone. Depressed people have to sit during fresh air breaks and listen to people talk about their most recent binge that landed them in the mental hospital on the same floor–somehow. Bipolar people have to sit in "group" and watch documentaries about heroin addiction that have absolutely no fucking relevancy to their problems. Between de-institutionalization and the addiction epidemic, there is no more room for the mentally ill. You can stay at home and get local treatment or you can go fuck yourself.
That said, I don't think media (television, movies) are to blame for the bad rap mental hospitals get. They are a fucking horrible substitute for care. They're only purpose is to keep you from killing yourself or someone else within their walls. The drug abuse community and the mental health community are so mixed up that every single person who enters these low-rate hell holes is treated like a drug addict. Anxious people are forced to sit in line waiting for meds while addicts scream at the nurses about the time they prefer to take their methadone. Depressed people have to sit during fresh air breaks and listen to people talk about their most recent binge that landed them in the mental hospital on the same floor–somehow. Bipolar people have to sit in "group" and watch documentaries about heroin addiction that have absolutely no fucking relevancy to their problems. Between de-institutionalization and the addiction epidemic, there is no more room for the mentally ill. You can stay at home and get local treatment or you can go fuck yourself.
