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Neighborhood psychiatry: New community approach

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Abstract

Neighborhood health and multiservice centers are increasingly becoming a means of delivering medical care to communities. This paper describes the function of a “neighborhood psychiatric team,” using a “family life center” as a base of operations for a comprehensive preventive and treatment program in one neighborhood of Boston. This program consists of direct treatment services to neighborhood residents, consultation with health and social service professionals and paraprofessionals in the Family Life Center itself, and consultation with other community agencies. The advantages of working in a neighborhood-early intervention in crisis with individuals and agencies, accessibility to the entire family, integration with general health services, easy follow-up and aftercare of recently discharged psychiatric patients-are described with case examples.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Office of Program Planning and Evaluation, Alcoholism, Drug Abuse and Mental Health Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane, 20852, Rockville, Maryland

    Steven S. Sharfstein M.D. (Special Assistant to the Acting Director)

Authors
  1. Steven S. Sharfstein M.D.
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He was formerly Director, Mental Health Services, Brookside Park Family Life Center, Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, and Instructor in Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School. The author wishes to acknowledge Mr. Jack Cradock, Dr. Donald Scherl and Dr. Jack Ewalt for their encouragement and support in developing “Neighborhood Psychiatry.”

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Sharfstein, S.S. Neighborhood psychiatry: New community approach. Community Ment Health J 10, 77–83 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01434572

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