New joints, same moves: the ossification of community psychiatry

Abstract

Comments on an article by Peter Tyrer (see record 2013-35228-005). Community psychiatry is at a crossroads and Peter Tyrer's critique is timely and welcome. Although problems in community care were developing before the economic downturn, the present financial climate has sharpened the issues and makes finding a solution more pressing than ever. The newly formed specialist community teams have had the advantage of defining their place in the system; facilitating the delivery of evidence-based interventions and fidelity to models of care. Tyrer argues for the re-establishment of 'completely comprehensive' teams, but the tensions that have challenged community teams will survive a structural reconfiguration. Community teams need to deliver care which is individually formulated but not at the expense of evidence based treatments. Care needs to be responsive and holistic but this approach has to be balanced with the need to deliver planned treatments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved)