Comment by ryandrake

Just like people's incorrect perception of crime: that it seems like it's going up while we are at historic lows, I wonder how much of this perception is just that mental health problems are more visible now. Homelessness (correlated with mental health trouble) is much more visible and in your face now. Social media has given everyone a megaphone, so the few crazies can now be as loud as they want and algorithmically drown out sensibility. You can go browse r/PublicFreakout and other "crazy videos" subreddits and watch unhinged people for hours. Political rhetoric paints "the other side" as insane rather than simply as opponents with differing views. All this combines to give the perception of a crisis, just like endless, breathless reporting about crime gives the perception that criminality is out of control.