In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis and ongoing recession, one of the services states have most frequently chosen cut have been those relating to mental health. Since 2010, nearly 4,000 state psychiatric facilities have been closed, and the duration of hospital stays have gone down 39 percent. However, it’s no secret that financial difficulties increase rates of depression and anxiety, and these shortened periods of observation have sometimes had fatal consequences. Tom Moroney is bureau chief for Bloomberg News in Boston. Marcia Knapp is the mother of Adam Knapp, a 30-year-old schizophrenic who died during a manic episode after entering and leaving three hosptials.
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