Judge rips state on care for mentally ill children

By John M Grohol PsyD
January 27, 2006

It’s very sad that I live in what is perceived to be a very progressive state, but that when you look beyond the facade of state government and services here in Massachusetts, you find quality no better than many very poor states.

The Boston Globe reports today how broken and sad the mental health system here is within Massachusetts, stranding mentally ill children without access to services they so desperately need.

In a state known for its affluence and universities, for its burgeoning biogen industry and for leading the way in social reforms, this is just sad. But it’s not unique. In most states in America, the care and well-being of children and adults with serious mental disorders remains a mish-mash of broken promises and broken systems.

When the Reagan administration in the 1980’s decided to close down the inpatient hospitals, they didn’t move the funding to outpatient care. Instead, the stripped the system of funding, resulting in stories like this decades later. This is what happens when you don’t fund mental health — people sue for the minimal services a “great society” such as ours should and has promised to provide.

Massachusetts has illegally forced thousands of mentally ill children ”to endure unnecessary confinement in residential facilities” because the state did not provide adequate care for them at home, a federal judge ruled yesterday, handing a major legal victory to advocates for low-income children who rely on the state-run Medicaid program for their healthcare.

The long-awaited decision by US District Judge Michael A. Ponsor found in favor of the families of eight low-income children who sued the state in 2001 over the unavailability of mental health services such as counseling, crisis intervention, and coordination of care. The ruling applies to about 15,000 low-income children statewide with serious mental health problems. Most are not currently institutionalized, but are not getting proper care while at home.

Dr. John Grohol is the CEO and founder of Psych Central. He has been writing about online behavior, mental health and psychology issues, and the intersection of technology and psychology since 1992.