The day hospital provides most of the therapeutic values of a hospital milieu program except for the isolation and protection inherent in living in a psychiatric hospital under close nursing supervision. It has proven valuable as a transitional phase for patients who have just been hospitalized. It offers a unique possibility for a more complete diagnostic survey. It also has the advantage of requiring less nursing supervision and less expense. At the Menninger Clinic

it has proved its value for patients newly discharged from the hospital and for patients who do not need hospitalization.