Around the 1960’s feelings about mental asylums began to change. Society started to acknowledge that people with mental illness needed treatment instead of being sent away and locked up. The Deinstitutionalization movement adopted several philosophies of the Civil Rights movement which helped it gain support.

The government moved patients out of asylums and into outpatient care. They were also motivated to move patients out due to federal funding going to mental health centers instead of state asylums.

Development of medication such as Thorazine (Chlorpromazine) treated many of the symptoms of mental illness. It is mostly used to treat psychotic disorders such as and severe behavior problems in children and adolescents.