abusablepast.org
Immigration and Mental Health Collide, Again – The Abusable Past
In recent years, politicians in the United States have paid significant attention to two major political issues: firstly, the increased number of asylum-seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border, and secondly, the perceived dangers of homeless individuals with severe mental illness. At first glance, these might appear to be separate political and humanitarian crises; however, major U.S. politicians, such as Donald Trump, have connected them, echoing rhetoric from deep in U.S. history. Re-examining the history of psychiatry and immigration in the U.S. is a crucial exercise, as it reveals the complex and often unseen intersections between these two critical concerns.