[Psychosocial management of deaf patients]

Deaf persons reside in almost all psychiatric hospitals in the Federal Republic, as a recent inquiry has shown. The total population of deaf inmates is probably around 600. These persons have so far not been eligible for treatment specially adapted to their deafness. The present article attempts to stimulate readiness for a specific type of care of such persons. It describes the special psychic stress to which they are exposed in an environment with intact hearing and highlights especially the severe barriers of contact that cannot be overcome by the deaf without assistance from the environment. The subsequent presentation of approaches to the psychosocial care of the deaf is rounded off by a few thoughts on further development.