Psychiatric history as a barrier to residential care

Bias against individuals with a history of psychiatric hospitalization can block their access to residential care homes and thus impede deinstitutionalization efforts. After surveying home operators in nine residential care programs in five states, the authors found that providers tend to accept a physically impaired client over one with behavioral problems or a history of psychiatric hospitalization. The authors also point out that actual admission practices may not reflect facility policies. For example, more than 30 percent of the operators said they admitted persons with behavioral problems or psychiatric histories, yet no such persons resided in their homes. The authors suggest strategies such as provider education and financial incentives to combat the operator's bias against former mental patients.