Community mental health centers and community mental health ideology

A study of the adherence of two community mental health center staffs to community mental health ideology, as measured by the Baker-Schulberg CMHI Scale, was conducted. The results for equivalent populations were the same as those of the only previously reported study, indicating the CMHI Scale is a reliable, useful research tool. Significant relationships were found between scores and a) professional affiliation, b) years of liberal arts education, and c) length of time working in a mental health center. Medical education would appear to have a different effect on adherence to the ideology of the community mental health movement than that of liberal arts education.