Day hospitals for severely disturbed schizophrenic children.

This paper has pointed out that our current facilities for the care of schizophrenic children are too limited. Children have the alternative generally of either being cared for in an outpatient facility or sent to a residential center. Surveys that are done of children who are finally admitted to residential centers indicate that this may well be a placement of last resort rather than one of choice. It often reflects failure of the community to provide proper care for the child in the early stages of his illness. Months or years of negotiations with outpatient agencies often come to naught and finally residential placement is necessary. Donald Bloch(4) has pointed out that there is an inexorable trend to institutionalization of children. Very often the way home is impossible, in spite of improvement and adequate adjustment on the part of the child at the residential center. It may well be that the lack of differentiated local treatment centers results in the inappropriate placement of a large number of me...