The Deinstitutionalization of Mental Health Facilities

In the 1950s, there were 500,000 people committed to mental institutions across the US and by the mid 80s, that falls to 100,000. Part of that is a result of the reclassification of what it requires to get somebody committed so it used to be, you have to be proven to be unable to take care of yourself. And then they changed that standard to you have to have been proven to be a threat to yourself or others. Now, often when someone proves that there are threats themselves or others, it's too late. Someone's already been hurt. So I don't know if the standard should be. They can't take care of themselves as it used