Ten years ago, The Patriot Ledger took an in-depth look at adult group homes on the South Shore for people with mental illness.

At the time, there had been strong community opposition to some of the homes, and the series of articles sought to explain how they were located and run, the process of community participation and who the residents were - their goals and activities, as well as the illnesses that placed them there.

The series, “The Mentally Ill, A Home at Last,” won the National Mental Health Association’s highest journalism honor, the Helen Carringer Memorial Award. The American Psychiatric Association gave the series its top media award for 1992.

In this three-part series, two of the reporters on “A Home at Last,” Lane Lambert and Sue Scheible, revisit some of the people who were part of the original series and the issues that brought them to our attention. Additional staff working on this Ledger Update were medical reporter Sue Reinert and staff photographers Amelia Kunhardt, Lisa Bul, Gary Higgins and Greg Derr.

Part 1

• RETURNING 10 YEARS LATER: Ten years later, The Patriot Ledger revisits a group of people profiled for a 1992 series of stories on mental illness and finds that some have made significant progress while others continue to struggle. Read more ...

Part 2

• SMALLER HOMES: A shift away from large group homes for the mentally ill to smaller homes and apartments is paying off in more rehabilitation and less rancor. Read more ...
• CLUBHOUSES: The Atlantic Clubhouse in Quincy gives people help in dealing with their mental illness while providing a place to socialize and relax. Read more ... Graphics show where housing for the mentally ill is on the South Shore.
• THE STATE AGENCY: State Mental Health Commissioner Mary Lou Sudders knows what it is like for families struggling to find services that work. Read more ...
• UPS AND DOWNS: A case in point, about the ups and downs of recovery. Read more ...

Part 3

• A NEW APPROACH: A promising new approach to treating patients who have been in and out of mental hospitals for years with no improvement is now being offered in Quincy. Read more ...
• MEDICATIONS: There are two sides on the issue of medication for schizophrenia. Experts agree that medication can help, but they differ on the role of drugs and the possibility of recovery from a disorder that affects not only mental functioning, but also social and economic well-being. Read more ...
• RESOURCES: Resources and web sites provide information, advocacy and support and legal assistance. Read more ...