Inadequate mental hospitals

Instead of being located in the community it serves, the traditional mental hospital is usually of remote location from this community. It is also large in size - hence the custodial rather than the rehabilitative approach on the part of the staff and the lack of psychotherapeutic contacts between staff and patients. Day care and day hospital services for the elderly mentally ill are particularly lacking. Comprehensive mental illness services have failed to materialize. Mental hospitals are often too inward-looking and hospital-orientated, while community need goes unmet. In addition, there are often not enough mental hospitals, and the poor and criminals then tend not to receive the mental health services they need.