I thought that the main reason so many people were released from mental institutions in the '60s was the arrival of Thorazine and other anti-psychotics. The vast majority of them were able to function well outside of an institution as long as they took their medication. Back in the late 70s, my job periodically included returning some of them to those big, mostly empty state hospitals, when they decided they didn't need their meds. This was in my days as a paramedic, of course.
Nick
