Discharge-ready patients who remain hospitalized: a re-emerging problem for mental health services

There is evidence that mentally ill patients nationwide are retained in state hospitals in spite of the fact that they are discharge-ready. New Jersey provided a unique opportunity to study this phenomenon, since it has been using specific procedures to identify discharge-ready patients in state hospitals. An analysis of New Jersey state hospital data found that about 45% of the state hospital patients were designated by either the legal or the clinical system, or both, as discharge-ready. Although a substantial number of these patients were disabled, they were assessed as being able to manage in the community with appropriate support. Characteristics and service needs of these patients are described, and the differences between those designated as discharge-ready and those who were not are examined. Recommendations are made for future research addressing the legal, clinical and social processes that affect discharge readiness.