Crisis assistance for persons with long-term mental illnesses is a critical part of comprehensive community support systems. Residential crisis services, while still not widely used, have been established in some communities and appear to have growing appeal as alternatives to acute psychiatric hospitalization for some clients. The services provide acute treatment in supportive, homelike settings, usually either private homes or small group facilities, and intensive discharge planning to link clients with community sources of long-term care. This review describes typical models and goals of residential crisis services and some of the factors that have impeded their development.
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