HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS British Journal of Psychiatry Advances in Psychiatric Treatment All RCPsych Journals		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Submit an eLetter Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Wolff, G. Articles by Leff, J. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Wolff, G. Articles by Leff, J.

Who's in the lions' den?

The community's perception of community care for the mentally ill

MRC Centre in Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry

Soumitra Pathare, Research Associate

Academic Department of Psychiatry, St Thomas's Hospital, UMDS

Tom Craig, Professor of Community Psychiatry

Academic Department of Psychiatry, St Thomas's Hospital, UMDS

Julian Leff, Professor of Social and Cultural Psychiatry

MRC Centre in Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry

^* Correspondence: Dr Geoffrey Wolff, Clinical Scientist, MRC Centre in Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, DeCrespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AF

Most long-stay patients discharged from psychiatric hospitals under community care policy are being accommodated in suburban communities. The communities' attitudes have a major bearing on the success of this policy. A census of perceptions of psychiatric services was conducted in two areas prior to the opening of long-stay supported houses for the mentally ill. Many respondents (37%) had a negative perception of psychiatric treatment in hospital. Most (82%) had heard of community care policy but few (29%) knew about the imminent opening of supported houses for the long-term mentally ill in their own street. Most respondents (66%) were against the closure of psychiatric hospitals and many saw if as a cost cutting exercise. The majority agreed with the idea of long-stay patients being discharged into smaller units in the community although a substantial minority (20%) thought it would have a bad effect on the local community. An overwhelming majority of respondents (91%) thought it was important for local residents to be given information about new mental health facilities in their neighbourhood. Respondents were worried that patients would not get adequate support and that they might be dangerous. If community care policy is to succeed, attention needs to be paid to the community's opinions and desire for information about local services.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				P. Byrne Psychiatric stigma The British Journal of Psychiatry, March 1, 2001; 178(3): 281 - 284. [Full Text] [PDF]