The field of mental health care in the United States is relatively new and has changed dramatically over the years. Mental illness was once believed to be the result of being possessed by a demonic spirit. We now know that psychopathologies are the result of a mixture of many factors, including abnormalities of chemicals in the brain as well as influences from our environment and daily experiences. We may never fully understand how the mind works. It has been a challenge to determine the most appropriate and effective way to treat people with mental illnesses. This has led the mental health system to make many errors and misjudgments in its development. The issue of care for the mentally ill is very important because according to the National Institute of Mental Health, “An estimated 26.2% of Americans aged 18 and older – about one in four adults – suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in any given year." ("Numbers Matter," n.d.) As professionals learn more about the brain and the mentally ill, treatment will continue to advance and improve. The origins of mental health care in America began in the 17th century in colonial Virginia. The issue of managing the care of the insane became a problem that needed to be addressed. The method of diagnosing someone as insane was determined by twelve citizens having to declare under oath that the person in question was indeed insane (Wacksman, 2003) Labeling someone as insane gave them some exemptions from the law, but they did not receive much treatment or assistance in dealing with their illness. Mentally ill people at that time relied on their family's care, but those without guardians were left behind to deal with their illness in... middle of a paper... care that was not being provided to them due to this push for more acute care admissions. Many patients are admitted to hospital numerous times without signs of improvement. (Flory, 1999) Deinstitutionalization has been more beneficial to the developmentally disabled population than to the mentally ill. People with DD get more government funding and better residential treatment centers. Mentally ill people are often left to fend for themselves. As the country continues to treat the mentally ill and developmentally disabled, serious changes will be needed in how things are handled. Thanks to the abundance of new knowledge, there has been great progress since the first hospitals were founded. The mental health system has learned from its mistakes and is doing its best to correct them to the best of its ability with the allocated funds allocated to them.