— deinstitutionalization , n.
/dee in'sti tooh"sheuh nl uyz', -tyooh"-, dee'in-/ , v. , deinstitutionalized, deinstitutionalizing .
v.t.
1. to release (a mentally or physically handicapped person) from a hospital, asylum, home, or other institution with the intention of providing treatment, support, or rehabilitation primarily through community resources under the supervision of health-care professionals or facilities.
2. to remove (care, therapy, etc.) from the confines of an institution by providing treatment, support, or the like through community facilities.
3. to free from the confines or limitations of an institution.
4. to free from the bureaucracy and complex procedures associated with institutions.
v.i.
5. to give up or lose institutional character or status; become deinstitutionalized.
Also, de-institutionalize; esp. Brit., deinstitutionalise .
[ 1960-65; DE- + INSTITUTIONALIZE ]