Abstract
This paper examines the contributions of the psychiatric profession within the public mental health system. Following a discussion of the current status of psychiatry and the public mental health delivery system, the author outlines a number of key recommendations regarding the appropriate role of psychiatrists in public systems. The author emphasizes the importance of the public mental health system in all areas of psychiatric practice.
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Dr. Miller was Commissioner of the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation from February 1982 to April 1988, and served previously as State Mental Health Commissioner in Georgia and New Hampshire.
This paper was a keynote address at the Conference on Improving Florida's Services for the Mentally Ill: The Role of Psychiatry, held on October 7–8, 1986 in Tallahassee, Florida. This conference was organized by the Florida Mental Health Institute, University of South Florida, and sponsored by the Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services through the Committee on Public Psychiatry.
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Miller, G.E. Role of psychiatrists in the public mental health system. Psych Quart 59, 88–102 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01065098
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01065098