Letter from America: acute in-patient psychiatry bed shortages

Abstract

SummaryThe number of in-patient beds for psychiatric treatment in America has declined dramatically over the past 40 years. Public and private policies have encouraged an extremely short-term, crisis-stabilisation model of treatment. This is true on both general and subspecialty units. As a result, readmissions have increased, emergency rooms are crowded, and many patients end up homeless or incarcerated in the criminal justice system. These changes have created a public health crisis in America, and are the greatest challenges that American psychiatry faces today.