The Right to Live in the Community: Commemorating 25 Years of the Olmstead Decision

https://www.samhsa.gov/blog/right-live-community-commemorating-25-years-olmstead-decision?utm_source=SAMHSA&utm_campaign=7d51c59b79-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2024_06_21_06_26&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-7d51c59b79-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D Tomorrow, 25 years ago, a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision affirmed the rights of people with disabilities – including those with serious mental illness (SMI) and serious emotional disturbance (SED) – to live in the most integrated setting appropriate to their needs. The case involved two Georgia women – Lois Curtis and Elaine Wilson – living with intellectual disabilities and mental illness. At the time the suit was filed, both plaintiffs were receiving mental health services in state-run psychiatric institutions even though experts believed they could be appropriately served in a community-based setting. Known as the Olmstead decision, the ruling required states to eliminate the unnecessary segregation and institutionalization of people who could benefit from community-based services. To date, this decision continues to play a critical role in efforts to reform public mental health services across the United States.