Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

570 Chapter 
16 
Treatment of Psychological Disorders
Community Psychology: 
Focus on Prevention
Each of the treatments we have reviewed has a common element: It is a “restorative” 
treatment aimed at alleviating psychological diffi culties that already exist. However, 
an approach known as
 community psychology 
has a different aim: to prevent or 
minimize the incidence of psychological disorders. 
Community psychology came of age in the 1960s, when mental health profes-
sionals developed plans for a nationwide network of community mental health cen-
ters. The hope was that those centers would provide low-cost mental health services, 
including short-term therapy and community educational programs. In another 
development, the population of mental hospitals has plunged as drug treatments 
made physical restraint of patients unnecessary. 
This transfer of former mental patients out of institutions and into the commu-
nity—a process known as
 deinstitutionalization 
—was encouraged by the growth of 
the community psychology movement (see Figure 3 ). Proponents of deinstitutional-
ization wanted to ensure not only that deinstitutionalized patients received proper 
treatment, but also that their civil rights were maintained (Wolff, 2002; St. Dennis et 
al., 2006). 
Unfortunately, the promise of deinstitutionalization has not been met largely 
because insuffi cient resources are provided to deinstitutionalized patients. What 
started as a worthy attempt to move people out of mental institutions and into the 
community ended, in many cases, with former patients being dumped into the com-
munity without any real support. Many became homeless—between 15–35% of all 
homeless adults are thought to have a major psychological disorder—and some 
became involved in illegal acts caused by their disorders. In short, many people who 
FIGURE 3 
As deinstitutionalization has become more prevalent over the last half century, the 
number of patients being treated in state mental hospitals has declined signifi cantly, while the 
number of outpatient facilities has increased.
(Source: From Rodger Doyle, “Deinstitutionalization,” 
Scientifi c American,
December 2002, p. 38. Copyright 2002 Rodger Doyle. Reprinted with permission.)
4000
0
Mental health car
e patient episodes
per 100,000 population
1950
1960
Year
1970
1980
1990
2000
1000
2000
3000
All facilities
Outpatient
facilities
Inpatient
facilities
State mental
hospitals
While deinstitutionalization has had 
many successes, it has also contributed 
to the release of mental patients into 
the community with little or no support. 
As a result, many have become 
homeless.