Need in community psychiatry: a consensus is required

Open Access
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The government's community care White Paper Caringfor People assured us that assessment of need is a "cornerstone of community care". Un fortunately there is a lack of clarity over the nature of severe mental illness and the problems and needs of the mentally ill, with no conceptual framework agreed by all the stakeholders in com munity care. The model of need adopted by management and direct care staff will determine both the priorities of the services and the treat ment and care that is actually provided. Familiar concepts of diagnosis, impairment, disability and handicap, which are central to psychiatric thought (Wing et al, 1992), are simply not ac cepted by the majority of those working within community mental health services. This is particularly true for staff in social services departments and the voluntary sector, who will increasingly become the major purveyors of community mental health care.

This publication has 5 references indexed in Scilit: