Montana State Hospital, A Patient's Perspective - Caitlin

Seclusion Rooms on B Wing at the Montana State Hospital.

In January of this year, Caitlin sat in a study room at the Missoula public library. She is just getting over a cold and is excited to see Joani, an investigator and advocate at Disability Rights Montana. They have been working together to help Caitlin through an abrupt and unsupported discharge from Montana’s state-run psychiatric Institution, otherwise known as the Montana State Hospital (MSH).¹

Before Disability Rights Montana staff arrived at the library to meet Caitlin, Joani reflected on the positive difference being in Missoula has been for Caitlin. “It is incredible how much benefit community services in Missoula has been for her. Why couldn’t this have been the first option, instead of being at Warm Springs for months?”

Montana’s state-run psychiatric institution is not located near any major Montana city.

Warm Springs, Montana is where the state-run psychiatric institution is located. Its closest city is Butte, about 22 miles to the southeast. Due to a variety of factors, location being a major one, the institution has incredible difficulty attracting and retaining qualified staff and healthcare providers.

Disability Rights Montana believes institutional settings are beyond dated and that community-based services are far more effective, healthy, and efficient with supporting Montana’s disability community.

This story of Caitlin is one of many like it. Sent to the state-run psychiatric institution, remained there for months, and then discharged into homelessness with no supports or plan from the institution.

Disability Rights Montana has been in recent contact with homeless shelters around the state, and we have found less reports of people being dropped off “cold turkey”, as Caitlin puts it, but it still is unclear what amount of support, if any, the State of Montana is investing in a sustained effort to integrate patients back into the community. Even if they say improvements are happening when legislators are in town.

1. Disability Rights Montana uses the term State-run Psychiatric Institution because it is a more accurate description of this facility. This is particularly helpful for people who are not familiar with the name Montana State Hospital and may wrongly equate the services provided there as similar to a general community hospitals found throughout our state.