No problem has been thornier for state departments of mental health
than what is commonly referred to as "linkage." Linkage is the process
through which a person with a serious mental illness who has been
discharged from a state mental hospital is connected to further
care in the community. This connection leads to the client using
services provided by some community agency. The assumption is that
the utilization of those services will improve the probabilities
of a positive clinical outcome and avoid further hospitalizations
for the individual in question. This study explores the correlates
of community linkages for urban mental patients. Using a random
sample of state mental patients from three urban state hospitals,
the researchers describe the patients' experiences with community
agencies after state hospitalization. Interviews were conducted
with 40 patients and data was collected from the community agencies
to which they were linked. Individuals were randomly chosen from
hospital lists of clients discharged or deflected from these facilities.
The results show that patients with a history of homelessness are
the most difficult to link. Persons with more significant self-care
problems and a history of residential instability receive fewer
services.
Dan A. Lewis, School of Education
and Social Policy, Northwestern University Rachel L. Anderson, School of Education and Social
Policy, Northwestern University
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