The text of a speech entitled "Current Trends for 'Mental Patients' and Others" presented by Rae Unicker at the Washington State Consumer's Conference in 1989. She quotes Lily Tomlin and draws from material put out by the National Institute of Mental Health. Rae points out that the desire to forcibly lock those with mental illnesses away in institutions has little to do with their actual perceived danger to society, but with public tolerance for allowing these people in society. She discusses trends in the mental health movement, including the issue of homelessness, erosion of civil rights for this with mental illnesses, and ways the self-help movement have been exploited.
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