Psychiatric deinstitutionalization and its cultural insensitivity: consequences and recommendations for the future

Despite the plethora of models and strategies for addressing issues that surround the chronically mentally ill, there remains a paucity of literature that addresses the specific implications of deinstitutionalization on racial minorities. Racial minorities comprise a significant number of the homeless, jailed, and geriatric mentally ill. History and current reality suggest the reasons why some chronically mentally ill blacks and their families have feared the impact of deinstitutionalization. This article examines the Ohio State Department of Mental Health's response to these issues as a possible prototype for statewide coordination for deinstitutionalization.