Description

This Commission policy paper reports that a high percentage of severely mentally ill individuals in New York State also abuse alcohol and/or drugs, but do not receive treatment for these additional problems. The critical lack of inpatient and community-based services for mentally ill persons with these multiple disabilities creates an enormous and costly gap, which results in increased psychiatric hospitalization rates and longer lengths of stay for such patients, substantially contributing to overcrowding of psychiatric admission units involuntary, municipal and State hospitals.