Life Crisis, Social Diagnosis, and Social Therapy

Abstract

In a previous paper (Morrice, 1973a) an account was given of a day hospital run as a therapeutic community. Emphasis was laid upon the way staff had learned to diagnose and treat patients not only according to conventional labels but also in terms of their disturbed social relationships—so-called social diagnosis and social prescription. At that time also an attempt was begun to identify life events which appeared to have precipitated the patients’ referral to psychiatric care. This paper considers the data derived from 266 consecutive admissions to the day hospital. Information obtained in each case was discussed by the staff group and noted on a standard form (Fig. 1) according to agreed principles.