{Staff perceptions of the community approach in psychiatry}

Since the 1960s, psychiatric practice in North America and in many Western countries has been increasingly oriented toward implementing community services for the care of the chronically mentally ill. This study is part of a larger research project whose main goal was to assess the impact of a community-based program on the quality of life and social reintegration of psychiatric patients living in a remote area. The project took place in the northwestern region of Quebec where the community approach is clearly recognized as a basic principle in the delivery of mental-health services. The first part of this research, reported here, measured to what extent staff attitudes correspond with the community orientation.