Schizophrenia Daily News Blog

Services Cut for mentally ill

Reductions in funding for mental health programs are already impacting the mentally ill in Texas.

In a story titled:"'They took a sick person's crutch' Mental health clients must cope with decrease in services

The Dallas Morning News stated that "Weekly visits from a caseworker kept Mark Streng out of psychiatric hospitals for the last two years.

But that service was eliminated in February from the Dallas area's public mental health system - an example of some of the more intensive programs lost during recent cuts."

The newspaper noted that "Ms. Taylor worries that her 42-year-old son's illnesses - schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression - could deteriorate without caseworker Walter Barton's close support.

Mr. Barton was part of what was called an Assertive Community Treatment, or ACT team, for Dallas MetroCare Services. The teams serve the sickest patients with histories of repeated hospitalizations and help them remain stable. The agency eliminated one of its three ACT teams during recent budget cuts. Each team served 100 people."

Source: Dallas Morning News