Is Psychiatry as Establishment an Effective Force?

At the completion of APA's two-year focus on "Alternatives to Violence," the authors assess this effort as it was pursued at the district branch level. They compare the different strategies (both unsuccessful) used by two hypothetical district branches and contrast them with a similar effort by a community organizer that, while it met with some success, had little influence with the holders of power in the community. The authors advance some recommendations for assessing the APA effort and learning from both successes and failures.