South Carolina's mental health system is near the top of the class in a
national grading, but it's not a particularly well-performing class,
according to a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group.
In its first ranking of the 50 states' mental health systems in 15
years, the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill on Wednesday gave South
Carolina a B-minus, making it one of five states to receive a grade that
high or higher.
The state got a D on services, however, because it has too few
inpatient beds.
The report "says the state is doing some things fairly well," said
David Almeida, executive director of NAMI's South Carolina chapter. "The
B-minus grade masks some significant underlying problems that the state
has to address and has to address quickly."
No state received an A on the report card, and only two, Colorado and
New York, got B's. The nation as a whole got a D.
The results of the report are not surprising, as studies in recent
years have lambasted the nation's mental health system. A report in 1999
by then-Surgeon General David Satcher said shame and problems paying for
care kept millions of Americans from getting adequate treatment. A 2003
study by the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health
recommended a complete overhaul of the system.
Advocates say little has changed.
"America lacks a social contract with mental illness. I think we still
find it acceptable to discard and just dismiss mental illness overall,"
said Katrina Gay, communications director for NAMI.
South Carolina got good marks for its mental health infrastructure and
its support of recovery. It also received an A for its information
systems, meaning the state does a good job of making information available
about the services available. However, Gay said, "there aren't many
services available."
The biggest problem, advocates say, is the lack of inpatient beds for
mental patients.
A bill with heavy support in the state Senate would require the state
to use money from the sale of the old State Hospital to fund services the
Department of Mental Health has cut over the years, including long-term
hospital beds. Almeida said he thinks the state could get a better grade
if the bill passes.
Reach Jonathan Maze at 937-5719 or jmaze@postandcourier.com.