Psychiatry has recorded substantial gains in the past decade, but the mentally ill person still is not getting the treatment he needs, the director of the National Association for Mental Health said here today.
'Tar too many people simply are being warehoused," said Philip E. Ryan of New York city. "But with the right kind of treatment the mentally ill person can come back."
Ryan was principal speaker this morning at the eighth annual mental health assembly sponsored by the Louisiana Association for Mental Health.
The assembly was held at the Fontainebleau Motor hotel.
Ryan discussed a point commission report, sponsored by Congress and several national and professional organizations, which pinpoints five major problem areas in the treatment of the mentally ill. '-
Areas Pinpointed The five areas pinpointed by the commission's report:
1. Rejection of the mentally ill. The common attitude among family, public and profession, Ryan said, still is ''Ship the mentally ill person out of sight and mind."
2. Traditional pattern of sending the sick person away
'LIP E. RYAN
is no good. What is needed, the report states, are more community facilities for treat- ment.
; 3. The biggest bottleneck in i treatment is lack of personnel— psychiatrists, psychologists, researchers, teachers.
4. Meager knowledge.
5. Lack of money. The report, Ryan said, calls for the doubling in the next five years, and the trebling in 10, of the amount of money spent on mental health care.
Accepts Most
The national association, Ryan said, had accepted most [of the report's recommendations and would in the next year gear its program to the following:
1. Improvement of in-hospi-tal treatment through larger appropriations and the use of volunteer workers,
2. Focusing attention on treatment of mental illness among children. There are a half million psychotic or pre-psychotic children in this country, he said. But less than 2 per cent are receiving treatment. Four out of five state mental hospitals, he said, place mentally ill children in the same wards with adult
| psyehotics.
3. Improvement of community facilities, principally by increasing psychiatric services in general hospitals. Already, Ryan said, general hospitals admit more mental patients for treatment than do mental hospitals. Treatment Good
Treatment in general hospitals' is good, Ryan said, I since it allows the person un-i der care to remain close to
his family and other community institutions.
4. Care; and rehabilitation-social, occupational and med~ j ical, after the period of treat- \ ment is over. I n file past, j Ryan said, morel than 35 per cent treated had ko return for further care.
But in areas ;where a program of rehabilitation has been provided, the member returning ms been reduced substantially.
In other actioin at the assembly, Dr. Frederick V. Poag was named president of the Louisiana association*.-
Other new officers are Robert F. Scott, vice-president; Mrs. Ferd J. LeRay, secretary, and Coryell McKinney, treas-rer.
In another talk this afternoon, Sen. Russell Long was slated to address the group on "Making Democracy Work for Everybody."
Later in the day, a panel was to discuss fHow Do the Joint Commission'Studies Apply to Louisiana?"
Participants were Dr. Gerald1 N. Weiss, Winborn Davis, Dr. Fred Y. Billingslea, Dr. Gene L. Usdin, Carl Corbin and Arthur R. Thiel.
Yesterday the association dedicated a new mailing headquarters for its "Pierre the Pelican" educational program. The new headquarters is at 1528 Jackson ave.
The mailing headquarters will be the center for the association's educational program through which last month 31,666 pamphlets were mailed to parents of first-born infants, Dr. Loyd W. Rowland, executive director of the association, said.
Present for the dedication was Miss Betty Cobb, artist who created the original "Pierre the Pelican" symbol of the mental health association.Miss Cobb also decorated the walls of the new headquarters with murals.
A bottle of milk 4was broken) against the'door of the head-! quarters by Elizabeth Mcllhen-ny, 10, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Mcllhenny, 2329 Coliseum, to christen the headquarters.
Principal speaker at the dedication was Dr. Bernice M. Moore, assistant to the director of the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health at the University of Texas in, Austin.
A puppet show was presented as an entertainment feature to. close the dedication ceremonies.PHOTO: APRIL SHOWERS FAIL to dampen the spirits of ten-year-old ELIZABETH M'lLHENNY as she christens the "Chez Pierre" Louisiana Association for Mental Health's new mailing head-quarters at 1538 Jackson, by smashing a bottle of milk against the building. Also participating at the ceremonies in the rain is DR. LOYD W. ROWLAND, executive director of the association.
