The Role of the Psychiatrist in Board-and-Care Homes

As more chronic mental patients are channeled into the community, residential care facilities will become increasingly important in their treatment, and more psychiatrists will become involved in board-and-care work. While traditional psychotherapeutic approaches may be applicable in small board-and-care practices, in larger practices the psychiatrist will spend a greater percentage of his time in crisis management, pharmacological interventions, and hospitalization. In addition, he will spend much more time obtaining and reviewing patients' hospital records and talking on the telephone, and will have more interaction with other mental health professionals.

Depending on the psychiatrist's interests, this mix of activities may be looked on as a curse or a blessing. Psychiatrists who prefer the more traditional one-to-one style of treatment should probably avoid board-and-care work or limit the size of their board-and-care practice.