In the 1960s there were two big things happening in US society. First, there were civil rights movements, and second, states and the government needed money. There began one of the largest problems seen on the streets of America today. Though most experts at the time believed that deinstitutionalization was the right way to go, no one seemed to think of the long term consequences this movement might have. Civil rights advocates argued that involuntary commitment was inhumane and that the laws should be changed, and so they were. Thousands of state funded hospitals for those with serious mental illnesses were closed, and most of the individuals living in them were left with no where to go.

The Insanity Offense is an accounting of the deinstitutionalization of America and the profound effect it has had on society. E. Fuller Torrey, a research psychiatrist, has followed many cases of mentally ill individuals that have been left without proper care only to cause harm. He puts a light on the real picture of what’s happening. The mentally ill have no where to turn, those who need treatment the most cannot get it because the laws say that an involuntary commitment to a facility cannot happen until the individual has actually acted in violence, not just threatened it. In many cases even if someone is taken in, they will be released after a few days, and chances are they will repeat the cycle again.

Mentally ill peoples are being left homeless, they turn violent and hurt themselves and others, they are victimized because other criminals think of them as weak and defenseless, and they are being incarcerated at higher rates than ever before, left in prisons that don’t have the resources to treat them as needed. Is that more inhumane than involuntarily committing them to get the treatment they need?

Reading this book broke my heart and infuriated me at the same time. The blindness of those with the power to change the circumstances is inexcusable. This book is a true eye-opener and it is something I can see myself referring back to in the future. Honestly, I would have to call it a “must read” because everyone should know what is really happening to the mentally ill of America. ( )

The sad thing about the mental health problem is that people don't admit to having one.

In this book, E Fuller Torrey discusses the situation that people with severe mental illness go through, and it is infuriating. In many cases, all of the signs were there for someone to be hospitalized, but since so many bleeding hearts in the 1960s and 70s wanted to close state-run mental health facilities, many people were left with no place else to go but the streets and low-income housing. Not only were the hospitals and facilities closed, but they also went and changed the laws, making it difficult to institutionalize someone for being a danger to society. Basically, in order to be committed, you have to realize that you have a problem and commit yourself. This is a serious issue when you aren't working with a full deck. Most of the patients in this book have some form of anosognosia; a condition where you don't feel you have a problem. This is a very real condition and can even happen to people with paralysis. For example, they might come up with excuses for why they don't use a paralyzed arm.

Dr. Torrey mostly talks about people with severely debilitating psychosis that makes them a danger to themselves and others. Using statistics and the story of several families, Dr. Torrey argues ardently for a system that would aid the mentally ill or disabled. He does a good job at this since it does tug at my heartstrings to see so many capable people with promise and dreams lose themselves to mental illness. In that sense, Torrey numbers a few of them and gives them a story. In making them people and not merely another number, it adds a human element to the book. ( )

Why are there so many insane people living on the street? Because Reagan closed down most of the long-term psych hospitals in the 80's.
There are also remarkable stories included of families who tried to get their relatives help, to no avail, and the tragedies that resulted. ( )