Dear Editor,
Julia Purdy writes in her piece “Conserving lands, healing people” published in the July 5-11 edition: “They became part of the progressive movement to de-institutionalize the mentally ill and offer them meaningful lives in community settings.”
I am not sure what she meant, but the vast majority of people dealing with a mental illness never have and never will see the inside of an institution. We are a broad and diverse demographic, earning to the millions, holding every university degree, and every professional, white, and blue-collar job. Please be very cautious with that “the.”
Harold A. Maio, retired mental health editor, Ft. Myers, Florida