Deinstitutionalization: a new scenario.

Deinstitutionalization appears to be an issue that is still pretty much up in the air. The public, courts, and state hospital administrators agree that large state, warehouse-like facilities are inadequate. The appropriate mental health delivery system for each state and the communities within each state need careful planning and implementation to be successful. Mental health populations in state facilities have dropped over fifty percent since 1955. The future planning of mental health delivery systems can be improved by training administrators to work with the public and the courts to provide services appropriate to each community or state.