The Post-Hospital Mental Patient and Family Therapy: Prospects and Populations*

Changes in the pattern of delivery of mental health services have led to dramatic increases in the number of patients discharged from mental hospitals. These post-hospital mental patients represent a new challenge to the field of family therapy. Of the approximately 1 million patient admissions to state and county mental hospitals, general hospitals, and private psychiatric hospitals, over 380,000 are married, and more than half of the remaining patients are estimated to be living with family. Almost 135,000 admissions receive family therapy during their hospitalization, and an estimated 650,000 mental patients will return to their families upon discharge.