Byline: Michael Kitch

Once ranked among the nation’s best, New Hampshire’s mental healthcare system has steadily eroded since the turn of the century, and grown more distressed in the past decade as the demand for mental health services has far outrun the capacity to provide them.

In-patient services are not sufficient to treat the numbers of mentally ill experiencing crises who require them. Out-patient and support services at the community level are not sufficient to stem the numbers requiring inpatient care. And housing, employment and other support services are not sufficient to ensure inpatients can be safely returned to the community in a timely manner.