Ivan N. Mensh

Transinstitutionalization, not Deinstitutionalization

Originally published in Contemporary Psychology: APA Review of Books, 1987, Vol 32(11), 974. Reviews the book, The Transfer of Care: Psychiatric Deinstitutionalization and its Aftermath by Phil Brown (1985). The authors plan of the text is well articulated. At the close of his opening chapter, “Current Problems and General Progress,” he lays out the Plan of the Book, itemizing the theme of each of the following eight chapters. In just two paragraphs, Brown ably summarizes the rationale for the title of his text, his theory, and the impact of the problems of mental health care delivery on patients and society. Even though this has largely centered around a new public-private alliance, it is a transfer of power and authority to a private sector which is less accountable to government and public scrutiny. Some of these transfers of care have been intended, while others have been wholly or largely unintended. The Transfer of Care will provide a comprehensive analysis of these phenomena. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)