The Impact of the Community Mental Health Movement on Psychiatric Practice and Training

The three basic concepts of community mental health will have profound impact on many aspects of traditional psychiatric theory and practice, the author believes, and must be taken into account in psychiatric residency programs. The catchment-area concept means that psychiatrists are obligated to provide help f or far larger numbers of people, including those who have problems and attitudes psychiatrists are not accustomed to dealing with. Psychiatrists must also work in partnership with communities that demand a voice in defining and labeling problems and specifying treatment modalities. The concept of promoting health as well as treating illness means that psychiatry becomes involved with broader concerns about improving the quality of life. The third concept, that behavior has I amily, community, social-class, and other sociocultural determinants, has already affected psychiatric practice and education, but it continues to generate friction.