Administrative planning in community mental health

The myriad of community problems created by the deinstitutionalization of psychiatric hospitals can be attributed to inadequate administrative planning rather than any lack of technical expertise in working with the mentally ill. In planning, administrative goals were emphasized over treatment concerns, community systems and environments were poorly conceived, and the difficult realities of treating chronic mental patients in the community were not acknowledged. Some of the failures in planning can be attributed to a lack of a client, community, and treatment personnel acknowledgement and involvement. Empowering these groups in the decision making process would improve community services, as would organizing clients into an active social, political, and consumer force.