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What a Creep: Ronald Reagan and the end of the “Mental Health Systems Act” of 1980.

by | Aug 9, 2024 | Podcast

What a Creep

Season 26, Episode 3

Ronald Reagan “The Mental Health Systems Act 1980”

The Mental Health Systems Act of 1980 was a significant piece of legislation to improve mental health care in the United States. It was signed into law by President Jimmy Carter on October 7, 1980. The act was intended to restructure the federal approach to mental health services, emphasizing community-based care and providing grants to community mental health centers to improve their services.

When Ronald Reagan assumed the presidency in January 1981, his administration’s policies marked a drastic shift from those of his predecessor, Jimmy Carter, particularly in the realm of social services and mental health care.

WAC Ronald Reagan and the Destruction of the Mental Health Systems Act of 1980 – What a Creep

What a Creep Season 26, Episode 3 Ronald Reagan and “The Mental Health Systems Act 1980” https://journals.ala.org/index.php/dttp/article/view/7933/11034 was a significant piece of legislation to improve mental health care in the United States. It was signed into law by https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/james-carter/ on October 7, 1980.

Trigger warning: Discussions of previous treatments for mental illness, suicide, sexual assault,  and general assholery. 

Sources:

·         Mental Health Systems Act (Wiki)

·         San Diego Union-Tribune

·         NPR

·         The American Library Association

·         National Library of Medicine

·         KQED-TV

·         Salon.com

·         The Hill

·         The New York Times (1984)

·         Psychiatry Online

·         C-Span “Washington Journal”

·         PBS News

·         Psychiatry News

·         Women’s History Org (Dorothea Dix)

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