Sunset Advisory Commission Labels Texas Public Mental Health System ‘Broken’

The public mental health system in Texas is "broken" according to the Texas legislature’s Sunset Advisory Commission in its recent review of the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). The state psychiatric hospital system is in crisis and requires immediate action to address problems created by increasing admissions to the nine state hospitals. The problems include outdated facilities and shortages of clinical staff to serve people under civil or forensic commitment. In 2013, the state hospitals served 22,000 people. The percentage of patients committed through criminal proceedings has been increasing, but DSHS lacks effective communication with the . . .