Review of THE PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL AS A THERAPEUTIC INSTRUMENT

Reviews the book, The Psychiatric Hospital as a Therapeutic Instrument edited by Alexander Gralnick (1969). The book deals with the papers discussing psychotherapy milieu therapy, family therapy, psychoanalytic concepts and their implementation in the hospital treatment program, shock therapy, interdisciplinary relationships, and patient participation. One of the most interesting papers in this book is a followup study of 500 hospitalized patients who were treated with psychotherapy. The interest and evaluation, and the use of relatively sophisticated techniques in determining the outcome of treatment, are testimony to the concern that the staff at High Point has in developing a more effective program and in their ability to mount a research program despite the difficulties and cost in developing such research efforts. The book discusses the evidence that, given sufficient resources, a system of psychiatric inpatient care could be made available not only for those who can afford private psychiatric care, but for those who need such care and do not have the financial resources. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)