Beginnings and endings; Is there a way out of psychiatric services?

Abstract

An historical and conceptual overview of psychiatric rehabilitation services is presented as a challenge to the appropriateness of traditional community based psychiatric services which isolate people from the community. The position is taken that the goal of psychiatric rehabilitation services should be to link people to normal community services and support systems. The problems which can arise from treating people in a separate psychiatric system are illustrated by tracing the development of a supported employment program through periods of high employment and high unemployment.