counties in the U.S. They should be able to afford a mental health infrastructure that properly cares for and treats the mentally ill. But they do not.
They continue to lock up people who are having mental health issues. Why? because there aren't enough places to put them. Hospital ERs are overcrowded, and even trauma patients may need to wait a day or more for an available bed. there may also be long waits for placements in psychiatric hospitals. Or they may be shuttled to a hospital that places them in a locked ward with mentally ill people who are accused of crimes. This happened to a friend of mine, who was terrified for her safety. She was moved after a day or so, but it should never have happened.
Montgomery County's ERs will also discharge some people with mental health issues, at their own request. This happened to a person I know. And the county's so called mental health crisis response team sometimes doesn't answer calls, or tries to discourage callers from requesting assistance.
If Montgomery County's mental health care is mediocre, I can't even imagine what less-affluent communities are doing.