Therapeutic Stations and the Chronically Treated Mentally Ill

Readmissions to mental hospitals are often cited as evidence of the failure of the contemporary mental health system. This essay proposes a different interpretation of readmissions. Building on fieldwork and participant observation methods, the authors argue that the "veteran" patient is less a victim of poor psychiatric care and misdirected reform than he is a citizen with few personal resources, using public services to cope with the exigencies of life. Lacking family, job, and income, the ex-patient incorporates the hospital and other "therapeutic stations" into a resource pool upon which he or she can call when the need arises. The essay also discusses the implications of these findings for assessments of the community mental health movement.