Planning mental health services for chronic patients.

At the present time, deinstitutionalized services for the chronically mentally ill are less than satisfactory. If planning for the future is to reverse the trend of incomplete service delivery for this population, it must start with the recognition and application of certain fundamental concepts. Effective planning requires idealism, vision, and a sense of reality. Six separate but interrelated dimensions of reality must be taken into account: the need for mental hospital; the importance of precise planning goals; the unique service needs of the chronically mentally ill; the need for interagency planning; the importance of a functioning and sensitive patient tracking system; and appreciation of the attitudinal structure within which services are delivered. Wherever the chronically mentally ill live, whether in the hospital or in the community, their requirements must be made the primary focus in mental health planning.