The Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (LACDMH), the largest county mental health department in the country, directly operates more than 85 programs and contracts with providers to provide a spectrum of mental health services to people of all ages to support hope, recovery, and wellbeing.
Mental health services provided include assessments, case management, crisis intervention, medication support, peer support and other rehabilitative services. Services are provided in multiple settings including residential facilities, clinics, schools, hospitals, juvenile halls and camps, mental health courts, board and care homes, in the field and in people’s homes. Special emphasis is placed on addressing co-occurring mental health disorders and other health problems such as addiction.
The department also provides counseling to victims of natural or manmade disasters, their families and emergency first responders. The Director of Mental Health is responsible for protecting patients’ rights in all public and private hospitals and programs providing voluntary mental health care and treatment, and all contracted community-based programs. The Director also serves as the public guardian for individuals gravely disabled by mental illness, and is the conservatorship investigation officer for the County.
Wellbeing and Recovery Outcomes
Our aim is to help our clients and families to:
- Achieve their recovery goals;
- Find a safe place for them to live;
- Use their time in a meaningful way;
- Have healthy relationships;
- Access public assistance when necessary;
- Weather crises successfully; and
- Have the best possible physical health.
Service Recipients
DMH’s services to adults and older adults are focused on those who are functionally disabled by severe and persistent mental illness, including those who are low-income, uninsured, temporarily impaired, or in situational crises. Services to children and youth are focused on those who are seriously emotionally disturbed and diagnosed with a mental disorder. They include wards or dependents of the juvenile court, children in psychiatric inpatient facilities, seriously emotionally disturbed youth in the community, and special education students referred by local schools and educational institutions. No one will be denied access to services due to inability to pay, and there is a discounted/sliding fee schedule available based on family size and income.