No access

ARTICLE

Published Online: January 1924

EDUCATION AND INTERPRETATION : Two Essentials in a Mental Hygiene Program

George K. PrattAuthors Info & Affiliations

Publication: American Journal of Psychiatry

Volume 80, Number 3

https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.80.3.463

Get Access

Abstract

1. Mental hygiene believes it possesses a commodity, the sale and use of which will help in lightening some of the social, health, and economic burdens of every community.

2. The educational portion of a mental hygiene program must be looked on in terms of a commercial problem.

3. Before this commodity can secure public acceptance, a vigorous campaign of education and interpretation must be undertaken. The idea of mental health must be thoroughly sold before its principles can be practically applied through clinical measures.

4. In the process of "selling" mental hygiene to the lay public a disregard for the necessity of getting down to the level of understanding of the average citizen will retard progress. It has been found that even when addressing such professional groups as general physicians, nurses, and college graduates, one must not take for granted any degree of previous knowledge of the subject. This may sound dogmatic but a not inextensive experience in such work confirms this view.

5. Not only is education a prerequisite for "selling" mental health, but a proper interpretation of the principles involved must go hand in hand with enlightenment.

6. The best equipped mental clinic available cannot function to capacity until a clientele is established and until the public knows what it is for, what kinds of cases it treats, and why they should not stigmatize or be suspicious of its purpose. This preparatory work can only be accomplished through an intensive educational campaign, preferably by a neutral, private, and unbiased agency.

7. Methods of education include use of:

(a) Lectures.

(b) Instruction courses.

(d) Exhibits.

(e) Legislation.

Get full access to this article

View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.

Get Access

Information & Authors

Information

Published In

American Journal of Psychiatry

Volume 80 • Number 3 • January 1924

Pages: 463 - 474

History

Published in print: January 1924

Published online: 1 April 2006

Authors

Affiliations

George K. Pratt

Massachusetts Society for Mental Hygiene, 5 Joy Street, Boston

View all articles by this author

Metrics & Citations

Metrics

Citations

Export Citations

If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.

For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu.

Format	RIS (ProCite, Reference Manager) EndNote BibTex Medlars RefWorks
Direct importt
Citation style
Style

Copy to clipboard
Tips for downloading citations

There are no citations for this item

View Options

Get Access

Login options

Already a subscriber? Access your subscription through your login credentials or your institution for full access to this article.

Personal login Institutional Login Open Athens login

Purchase Options

Purchase this article to access the full text.

PPV Articles - American Journal of Psychiatry

Not a subscriber?

Subscribe Now / Learn More

PsychiatryOnline subscription options offer access to the DSM-5-TR^® library, books, journals, CME, and patient resources. This all-in-one virtual library provides psychiatrists and mental health professionals with key resources for diagnosis, treatment, research, and professional development.

Need more help? PsychiatryOnline Customer Service may be reached by emailing [email protected] or by calling 800-368-5777 (in the U.S.) or 703-907-7322 (outside the U.S.).

EDUCATION AND INTERPRETATION : Two Essentials in a Mental Hygiene Program

Abstract

Get full access to this article