Community mental health services in Alabama after Wyatt.

The author believes that the growth of the community mental health system in Alabama has suffered as a result of the Wyatt decision. The state has a limited number of dollars to invest in mental health, and the Wyatt court order requires that the state allocate a large portion of its resources to upgrade its institutional system. That demand on resources has interfered with the development of community services, and it comes at a time when many patients are being released from institutions and need such services. Because the centers must care for increasing numbers of released patients, other important preventive services, such as consultation and education, are receiving less attention than they should.