New Jersey Law Journal | September 2026
By Brooke Greenwald and Daniel Pollack
This article examines the gaps in care experienced by individuals with autism spectrum disorder and comorbid psychiatric diagnoses. It explores what happens when appropriate supports are missing before hospitalization, inpatient psychiatric units are not equipped to provide the specialized behavioral care a patient needs, and discharge leads back into the same inadequate system of care. The result can be a never-ending revolving door of crisis, hospitalization, discharge, and readmission. The article calls for meaningful systemic change, continuity of care, and treatment designed for individuals with complex behavioral and psychiatric needs.