Community psychiatric rehabilitation in Israel

This paper describes the development of community-based rehabilitation services for persons with mental illness in Israel. It describes current provision for occupational, social and residential programs. It is argued that developments in all of these spheres have been both slow and piecemeal, and that they have been influenced unduly by models imported from psychiatric hospitals. The authors conclude that more adequate provision is needed, and that this should be more attuned to the philosophy and objectives of community psychiatry.