What are the prerequisites and indications of the therapeutic community proper? A comparative study.

Abstract

Is the therapeutic community model appropriate for short term psychiatric wards with catchment area responsibility and emergency obligations? A comparative study of group dynamics, measured by Group Emotionality Rating System and Group Focal Conflict Analysis within three different therapeutic community wards, revealed that the short term ward contained extreme fight/flight groups and pseudo-groups unable to deal with the delegated responsibility presupposed by the therapeutic community model. The intermediate ward functioned fairly well, while the long term ward for psychotherapy of schizophrenia and personality disorders also functioned badly from a therapeutic community proper point of view. The author discusses these findings in light of previous literature and concludes that the therapeutic community proper is predominantly a treatment model relevant for personality disorders and severe neuroses, and not adequate for the multiplicity of emergency tasks facing a short term psychiatric ward.