Alabama Receives Poor Mental Health Grades

The National Alliance on Mental Health recently released it's 2009 Grading the States report on how states are faring with treating mental illness. NAMI is the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness. NAMI has over 1,100 affiliates in communities across the country who engage in advocacy, research, support, and education.

Alabama received a grade of "D" which has not changed since 2006. They noted the landmark case of Wyatt vs. Stickney that created an untenable environment for Bryce Psychiatric Hospital to sustain itself. They specifically cite a lack of psychiatric beds that ultimately lands many psychiatric patients into jail or prison. Alabama has one of the lowest per capita ratios of psychiatrists with no plan to address this disparity.

All emergency physicians experience the failure of our health care system to meet the needs of our psychiatric patients. With the tremendous lack of psychiatric beds, these patients are boarded in the emergency department for over 24 hours (or more) while waiting for a bed to open up. State law also does not allow for involuntary committals which directly places families and the general public at risk of potential dangerous psychiatric patients. More needs to be done in Alabama to address this crisis.