Summary: Mental health care is a major problem in America. Why is the problem so bad? And why aren’t patients most in need getting the care they deserve?More and more we are seeing tragic events popping up all over the U.S. that are due to mentally ill individuals not receiving the care they need. Over the last few decades there has been a de-institutionalization of mental health. Perhaps the controversy and bad press surrounding the mental health facilities in earlier decades have led to this issue. Or, perhaps it is a flawed healthcare system. Regardless of the cause, much of the resulting burden has filtered into the nation's Emergency Departments, where wait times for psychiatric beds are sometimes weeks before a patient can be tended to. Dr. Nathan Schlicher joins Dr. Leigh to discuss this major problem, including just why it is so bad and what can be done.
