THE WELL-BEING CLINIC: A STUDY OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF AN ATTEMPT TO PROVIDE ROUTINE MENTAL HEALTH CHECK-UPS FOR COMMUNITY GROUPS

The existence of a Well-Being Clinic should in itself be an encouragement to people to seek help in emotional problems. The positive health orientation of the clinic lessens the likelihood of those exploring the state of their mental health being labelled "neurotic." It should help relieve chronic and often unnecessary concern about mental health derived from the public's misinterpretation of well-intentioned mental health propaganda. It should help in the early detection of mental illnesses and social maladjustment thus making early treatment possible. And it should make useful contributions to the field of psychiatric research by assisting in the assessment of the effectiveness of existing treatment resources and perhaps by identifying as yet unrecognized disturbed human relationships.

On the negative side it can be said that the clinic may bring to light many cases for whom there is at present no therapeutic resource, and that it may miss many cases of early illness. The degree of effectiveness of the initial screening interview may roughly parallel that obtained in mass radiography of the chest in the field of preventive public health. Yet compared with a community in which a Well-Being Clinic does not exist, it can be argued that Montreal has set in motion a promising venture. The idea of the Well-Being Clinic has been favorably received in Montreal. Professional and industrial organizations have shown an interest in setting up further clinics adapted to their particular needs. Outlying communities have expressed similar interest.

The clinics in Montreal have remained financially self-supporting. And the 2 group programs to which they were attached had over the past year a paying enrolment of 200 persons. The clinics, therefore, have not been a costly experiment.

Remembering that in the final analyses it is the well people of the community who must carry the burden of the ill, and this is by no means only a financial burden, it is of paramount importance that experimentation should go forward in the direction of keeping the healthy as healthy as possible.