Neighborhood psychiatry: New community approach

Neighborhood health and multiservice centers are increasingly becoming a means of delivering medical care to communities. This paper describes the function of a “neighborhood psychiatric team,” using a “family life center” as a base of operations for a comprehensive preventive and treatment program in one neighborhood of Boston. This program consists of direct treatment services to neighborhood residents, consultation with health and social service professionals and paraprofessionals in the Family Life Center itself, and consultation with other community agencies. The advantages of working in a neighborhood-early intervention in crisis with individuals and agencies, accessibility to the entire family, integration with general health services, easy follow-up and aftercare of recently discharged psychiatric patients-are described with case examples.