Correcting misconceptions in mental health policy: strategies for improved care of the seriously mentally ill.

In the decades immediately following World War II a strong coalition of professionals and reformers emerged to shape agendas, debates, and national policy on caring for the mentally ill. The heterogeneity of mental health problems, the demographic shifts in populations at risk, and the realities of designing and implementing effective programs, were often overlooked; yet profound elements of change have taken place. Components essential for maintenance of function and rehabilitation have yet to be linked into a responsible alternative to long-term or episodic hospital care.