Canadian journal of psychiatry. Revue canadienne de psychiatrie
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Planning mental health services is a complex task requiring an understanding of background developments and key issues related to mental health services. In Canada, the deinstitutionalization of patients attempted to shift the locus of care from provincial psychiatric hospitals to general hospital psychiatric units. ⋯ In the development of a comprehensive mental health plan, each issue should be recognized and decisions made which are in keeping with current knowledge. A companion report will survey Canadian initiatives in mental health planning and discuss approaches to many of the issues identified.