Calling the institutionalization of mentally disabled persons “a form of discrimination,” the U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday issued a ruling that may help more state hospital patients enter community-based treatment.
The 6-3 decision in a case from Georgia interprets the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act to say that community placement of mentally disabled people must be implemented under certain circumstances. However, the decision won’t lead to mass exodus of mental health patients from state hospitals.
