deinstitutionalization

noun

de·​in·​sti·​tu·​tion·​al·​i·​za·​tion (ˌ)dē-ˌin(t)-stə-ˌtü-shə-nə-lə-ˈzā-shən 

-ˌtyü-

1

: the release of institutionalized individuals from institutional care (as in a psychiatric hospital) to care in the community

2

: the reform or modification of an institution to remove or disguise its institutional character

deinstitutionalize

(ˌ)dē-ˌin(t)-stə-ˈtü-shə-nə-ˌlīz 

-ˈtyü-

transitive verb

Examples of deinstitutionalization in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The late 1970s and early 1980s are remembered for deinstitutionalization — the well-meaning movement to send people with mental illness out of hospitals and into society. —Dan Rodricks, Baltimore Sun, 29 Nov. 2024

By the 1970s, SROs were regularly vilified in the media, despite still serving as crucial housing for hundreds of thousands of people, including those with mental illness who were booted from the deinstitutionalization of asylums. —Rachel M. Cohen, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018

The era’s deinstitutionalization policies toward the mentally ill led to the release of many former patients of psychiatric hospitals without the resources needed for their treatment. —Ella Howard / Made By History, TIME, 10 July 2024

In the 1970s, a time of mass deinstitutionalization, former patients came together to found the Psychiatric Inmates Liberation Movement. —JSTOR Daily, 24 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1955, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Medical Definition

deinstitutionalization

noun

de·​in·​sti·​tu·​tion·​al·​iza·​tion (ˌ)dē-ˌin(t)-stə-ˌt(y)üsh-nə-lə-ˈzā-shən, -ˌt(y)ü-shən-ᵊl-ə-ˈzā- 

: the release of institutionalized individuals from institutional care (as in a psychiatric hospital) to care in the community

deinstitutionalize

-ˈt(y)üsh-nə-ˌlīz, -ˈt(y)ü-shən-ᵊl-ˌīz 

transitive verb

deinstitutionalized; deinstitutionalizing