A new novel that follows a young woman through

[steve2470]

10. in the Reagan years, a lot of the population in the state mental hospitals was forced out

If they could function on the streets, they were discharged under a policy known as "deinstitutionalization". I used to be a caseworker for those people.

Many of them could NOT function on the streets and had to go back to the hospital, repeatedly. They were moderate-to-lower functioning schizophrenics. The highest functioning schizophrenics can actually obtain employment, get married, etc. and be stable in the community. The moderate functioning ones usually need a group home catering to their needs.

I can see the rationale for the policy but it was done pretty crudely, causing suffering to too many patients. To this day, you only get a "permanent stay" in the state hospital if you are very very low functioning.