Social Class and Mental Illness: A Study Based on 220 Cases From the Putnam County Community Mental Health Clinic
Abstract
Background of the Study. Mental illness has long been recognized as a major problem within our society. For many years, a "mental health movement" has attempted to focus attention and resources upon this problem. The momentum of this movement was sharply increased when in 1963 President John F. Kennedy, in a special message to Congress, formally acknowledged mental illness as one of our "most critical health problems." In response to this, Congress enacted the Community Mental Health Centers Act (Public Law 88-164) which authorized federal financing of community mental health centers. The idea of this approach was to provide comprehensive treatment, within the community, for all who needed it. In 1965 the federal government again authorized more financing in the form of matching funds to be given to local communities for the purpose of staffing these community mental health centers. By 1967, 178 grants had been made to 158 centers, assuring community care to some 27,000,000 people. Projected plans call for 500 centers, each to serve 75,000 to 200,000 people, to be in operation by 1970 and 2,000 by 1980.
Subject Area
Social work|Social research|Mental health|Social structure
Recommended Citation
Cronin, Brian A, "Social Class and Mental Illness: A Study Based on 220 Cases From the Putnam County Community Mental Health Clinic" (1968). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI30359821.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI30359821
