From Dallas Express · Dallas Express · · 1m 30s
America Emptied Its Asylums. What Replaced Them?
US shifts from mental health hospitals to community care as debate over what replaces them intensifies.
In brief
US shifts from mental health hospitals to community care as debate over what replaces them intensifies. The US has emptied state psychiatric hospitals but lacks community care, leading to homelessness and emergency department waits for people with mental illness. Originally reported by Dallas Express.
US empties psychiatric hospitals
America spent decades emptying state psychiatric hospitals, reducing patients from 559,000 in 1955 to 36,542 by 2025.
WHO urges community care shift
The World Health Organization released a 146-page guide urging governments to replace long-stay psychiatric institutions with community-based mental health services.
US moves opposite direction
The Trump administration directed federal agencies to encourage civil commitment for people with serious mental illness, while Texas added state psychiatric capacity.
Only 9% fully shifted
WHO found only 9% of reporting countries had fully shifted to community-based mental health care, while 53% remained in early stages.
28% stay over six months
More than one in four people admitted to psychiatric hospitals stayed longer than six months, indicating system gaps.
Texas opens new hospital
The Texas Behavioral Health Center in Dallas accepts direct transfers from facilities in Dallas, Collin and Denton counties as UT Southwestern opens the hospital in phases.
Homelessness data shows gaps
Housing Forward counted 3,513 people experiencing homelessness in Dallas and Collin counties on January 22, including 27% reporting serious mental illness.
Two different approaches
WHO calls for person-centered community services, while Trump’s executive order encourages civil commitment for people with mental illness posing risks.
What it means
The US has emptied state psychiatric hospitals but lacks community care, leading to homelessness and emergency department waits for people with mental illness.
