The practice of deinstitutionalization in mental health care primarily aims to achieve which of the following goals?

Choice A reason: While reducing stigma was a hoped-for byproduct of moving care into the community, it was not the primary structural goal of deinstitutionalization. In fact, as noted in previous questions, the lack of community support during this transition sometimes led to increased public stigma due to the visibility of untreated illness. Choice B reason: Reducing costs was a significant political motivation for closing large state hospitals, but it is not the "primary" therapeutic or humanitarian goal of the movement. The clinical intent was to provide more humane, less restrictive care, even though the financial savings were often not reinvested into community services. Choice C reason: The primary clinical goal of deinstitutionalization was to move patients from long-term, isolated institutions into the "least restrictive environment." This aimed to integrate mental health care into the community through outpatient clinics, halfway houses, and support groups, allowing individuals to maintain social ties and achieve higher functional independence. Choice D reason: Deinstitutionalization specifically aimed to do the opposite of increasing psychiatric beds. It sought to drastically reduce the number of people living in inpatient psychiatric wards. The movement focused on shifting the locus of care away from "beds" and toward community-centered services and independent living arrangements.