Psychiatry. Nurses' reactions to hospital closure

The second article dealing with the effects of psychiatric hospital closure explores how the transition from the role of hospital nurse to community nurse occasioned by closure is proving an extremely difficult process. Some of the feelings evoked resemble the grief experienced after the death of a loved one. This article focuses on the reactions of 22 nurses to the closure of a large mental hospital. Nurses with many years' experience were found to be suffering a bereavement reaction which threatened their emotional and physical wellbeing. The author suggests that this 'institutional loss' has important implications for the successful rehabilitation of large numbers of mentally ill patients.