Overview: Deinstitutionalization of Psychiatric Patients, a Critical Review of Outcome Studies

The paper is an examination of experimental studies on the outcomes for psychiatric patients of alternatives to hospital admissions,modifications of conventional hospitalization, & alternatives to continued long-term hospitalization. The internal validity of many of these studies was problematic due to shortcomings of their design. Satisfactory deinstitutionalization appears to depend on the availability of appropriate programs for care in the community. (44 ref.)