Community mental health centers and the treatment of severe mental disorder.

Between 1970 and 1975 the number and rate of admissions to community mental health centers of people given a diagnosis of schizophrenia increased dramatically. However, the proportion of patients with schizophrenia admitted to community mental health centers declined because the increase in the rate of admissions of patients with schizophrenia was diluted by the large increase in the rate of admissions of patients with other diagnoses. The authors review the data on trends in admissions of patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia in the context of an expanding system of mental health services characterized by changes in the locus of care.