EDITORIAL
The Citizen's care" and "com-
COMMUNITY munity responsibility"
are
phrases frequently heard these days.
Unfortunately, they
often
leave
us
with the view that "they" (someone else) ought to be doing something. The question is, what ought we to be doing? and what can we do??as members of the community. Some of the needs are underlined by articles in this issue. That by Dr. Milner and his colleagues describes the "shift to the community" of patients previously in mental hospitals, this is the policy and of the Minister of Health
certainly means increasing acceptance of responsibility by every citizen whose attitude
can
ing patient, obviously, by
as
affect the returnmore well as,
the general practitioner and the mental welfare officer. The trends resulting from this policy are a drop of some 20% of the inpatients and a much greater rate of admission and readmission. More
Training?
No doubt general practitioners and mental welfare officers will play their part in coping; the fact remains that only a minority of either have had special training in the subject and must depend on their increasing experience. Some of them, and their patients alike, may suffer from their lack of training. Can we, the N.A.M.H., do anything more here? Courses have long been run, both for G.P.s and for mental welfare officers; but even so they can only cover a certain fraction of the Can we increase these? need. Can more be done by local associations
Responsibility to
week-end
provide
courses
to
and
eveni?
meet the local needs?
Dr. Tyrrell's article describes tb Swedish system whereby each cotf ffl mune accepts responsibility
children's welfare through a group " six people: a doctor, a teacher, clergyman, a public assistance work^ and two others known for their and interest. Have we anything 1 learn from this? It is certainly way to prevent psychiatrists accept^ too much responsibility, which, 1 Dr. Ratcliffe points out, is a dang' that may follow, if they are so move by the needs of a situation that th? forget other professions also have part to play in remedying it. Problem of
Psychopaths
There is, however, one proble' which is likely to increase and whic may well prevent community ca' from being effective and inter#' even with the proper work of $ mental hospital?the psychopath. T^1 Mental Health Act has defined tP
problem and described this conditio'
far very little has been done 1 provide enough suitable units fc treatment. An atmosphere of hop1 lessness pervades the subject. but
so
Yet more psychopaths are betf admitted to ordinary mental hospits as Dr. Milner's article shows. Tfr? do not fit in well. For this reason we welcome $ Craft's article which shows that trea ment can be successful?if specialist methods and a new outlook available. Can we stimulate fr?5 thinking and the provision of sped1 units?
The Citizen's care" and "com-
COMMUNITY munity responsibility"
are
phrases frequently heard these days.
Unfortunately, they
often
leave
us
with the view that "they" (someone else) ought to be doing something. The question is, what ought we to be doing? and what can we do??as members of the community. Some of the needs are underlined by articles in this issue. That by Dr. Milner and his colleagues describes the "shift to the community" of patients previously in mental hospitals, this is the policy and of the Minister of Health
certainly means increasing acceptance of responsibility by every citizen whose attitude
can
ing patient, obviously, by
as
affect the returnmore well as,
the general practitioner and the mental welfare officer. The trends resulting from this policy are a drop of some 20% of the inpatients and a much greater rate of admission and readmission. More
Training?
No doubt general practitioners and mental welfare officers will play their part in coping; the fact remains that only a minority of either have had special training in the subject and must depend on their increasing experience. Some of them, and their patients alike, may suffer from their lack of training. Can we, the N.A.M.H., do anything more here? Courses have long been run, both for G.P.s and for mental welfare officers; but even so they can only cover a certain fraction of the Can we increase these? need. Can more be done by local associations
Responsibility to
week-end
provide
courses
to
and
eveni?
meet the local needs?
Dr. Tyrrell's article describes tb Swedish system whereby each cotf ffl mune accepts responsibility
children's welfare through a group " six people: a doctor, a teacher, clergyman, a public assistance work^ and two others known for their and interest. Have we anything 1 learn from this? It is certainly way to prevent psychiatrists accept^ too much responsibility, which, 1 Dr. Ratcliffe points out, is a dang' that may follow, if they are so move by the needs of a situation that th? forget other professions also have part to play in remedying it. Problem of
Psychopaths
There is, however, one proble' which is likely to increase and whic may well prevent community ca' from being effective and inter#' even with the proper work of $ mental hospital?the psychopath. T^1 Mental Health Act has defined tP
problem and described this conditio'
far very little has been done 1 provide enough suitable units fc treatment. An atmosphere of hop1 lessness pervades the subject. but
so
Yet more psychopaths are betf admitted to ordinary mental hospits as Dr. Milner's article shows. Tfr? do not fit in well. For this reason we welcome $ Craft's article which shows that trea ment can be successful?if specialist methods and a new outlook available. Can we stimulate fr?5 thinking and the provision of sped1 units?
