Mental Health Care under Advanced Capitalism

Abstract—I suggest that there is a profound crisis of mental health care under advanced capitalism in the United States. I begin by examining how this crisis manifests itself in terms of three aspects of social power: economic, political/institutional and ideological/discursive. I then turn to envisioning what an alternative mental health system might look like, post-capitalist in terms of these same three aspects of power. I end by suggesting a number of concrete steps that providers, clients and other activists can take to begin organizing for a post-capitalist mental health system in the United States. Keywords—capitalism, mental health, power, empowerment “The only way to protect and promote the health of a nation is to redistribute the wealth and power among its people.