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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This 3 page paper examines the success of programs in Geel, Belgium in respect to the treatment of the retarded and mentally ill. How American society can change to better care for its mentally ill population is examined. Bibliography lists 3 sources.
Page Count:
3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: RT13_SA345Gel.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
townspeople and according to a student, this has been occurring since the fifteenth century. It is an alternative mental health approach and it has been an inspiration for other communities.
One wonders what people in the United States can learn from the people of Geel. First, it should be stated that things have changed in the United States over the
past several decades. It used to be that Downs Syndrome babies for example were left to die in institutions. In fact, doctors would recommend this course of action. But in
the 1960s and 1970s, parents began to say no to the idea that they would leave children in institutions where they received substandard care. These acts of bravery where parents
would go against the recommendations of doctors may be construed as something that has changed things in the West. Indeed, today, Downs Syndrome children are capable of a lot of
things and some have even gone on to have their own careers and families. That said, the way in which Americans care for the mentally ill is quite a different
matter. Even in the twenty-first century things have not changed since "Cuckoos Nest" exposed the problems inherent in mental institutions. Today, it seems that the seriously mentally ill must live
in a hospital setting for their own safety and the safety of others. Yet, in Geel, the mentally ill and the "normal" villagers live together in harmony. There is much
to be learned about how the Village of Geel adopted the idea of caring for their own, including the mentally ill. While Geel does take care of its own,
there had been some speculation that perhaps this is not necessary the case. For example, Buruma (1998) reports on a Breugel painting where a "procession of grotesque-looking people, staring at
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