Three aspects of Rosenhan's diagnostic challenge presented in "On Being Sane in Insane Places" (AA 521 951) were commented on: (a) the concept of sanity-insanity, (b) the ethics of research involving simulation, and (c) the mileau of the therapeutic community. (Author/RK)

In an increasingly cost-conscious health care environment, average length of hospital stay has decreased. Although psychiatric inpatient treatment is largely exempt from the constraints of the Medicare diagnosis related groups (DRG's), length of stay for geropsychiatric hospital services has decreased also. A trend toward higher rates of early…

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was officially recognized as a disorder by the American Psychiatric Association in January 1980, and the Veterans Administration (VA) started processing veterans' claims for the disorder in October 1980. To investigate allegations that the Buffalo VA Regional Office was disapproving a high percentage of claims…

This paper describes the implementation of an inpatient treatment program for Vietnam combat veterans exhibiting symptoms related to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, at the North Chicago Veterans Administration Medical Center. Issues related to organizational and staff problems encountered during the program are outlined, and unique problems…

This report examines the ability of the nonpsychiatrist physician to provide mental health services in an effort to guide policymakers dealing with the question of whether nonpsychiatrist physicians can, or should, be used to offset the projected shortfall of psychiatrists. The maldistribution of psychiatrists is discussed in chapter 1 of this…

This directory lists refugee mental health proessionals and paraprofessionals alphabetically by state and profession. Each entry provides the person's name, home and office address, and day and night telephone numbers. Thereafter, the person's area of expertise, related experience, and additional activities are listed, followed by types of…

This paper reports the results of creative writing workshops in various psychiatric hospitals that have demonstrated that individuals in psychiatric settings have particular needs, affinities, and receptivities to the means of self-expression and communication available through creative writing. The purgative effect of Emily Dickinson's poetry and…

The report of a team project concerned with idea development for community mental health centers includes--(1) concept description, (2) development of facility and resource requirements, (3) conceptual diagrams, (4) schematic plans, and (5) model photographs. (MH)

The term "organization development" (OD) encompasses techniques developed to facilitate communication and collaborative problem solving in work groups. This discussion focuses on defining OD, describing its current use in mental health and human service organizations, and assessing potential payoffs and disadvantages of implementing OD programs in…

A study designed to provide some preliminary information on the feasibility of a brief, community-based evaluation as an alternative to a more lengthy, institutionally based evaluation to determine a defendant's competency to proceed with trial is described. (Author)

Discusses provision of quality psychiatric treatment and determination of appropriate therapeutic restrictiveness for each recipient. Describes the Anna Mental Health and Development Center's prevention strategy for unauthorized recipient absences and its systematic plan for responding to unauthorized absences. Outlines the function and…

Individuals admitted to an inpatient psychiatric unit for an immediately preceding parasuicide, with current suicidal ideation, or for nonsuicidal psychiatric reasons, were compared with each other on the types of problems they reported as being most significant in their current lives. Parasuicidal patients reported problems with significantly…