The coming of the corporation and the marketing of psychiatry.

After briefly reviewing the current dynamic status of corporate for-profit multihospital chains, the author traces their historical antecedents from early 20th century advances in medical care and medical education to the present economic and political environment that is so conducive to their growth. The chains' success in increasing their profitability in the general health care field through pricing and marketing strategies and efficient use of personnel has raised several concerns, but in combination with several other factors it has ensured the movement of for-profit corporations into the psychiatric field. The implications of this movement for the provision of psychiatric services are discussed, particularly the thrust to define psychiatry as a group of separately marketable products.

Establishing community services for the mentally ill: a summary of lessons learned.

In summary, the development of programs in the community serving the severely and chronically mentally ill is a political-sociological activity requiring a detailed working knowledge of the community to be involved, a clear understanding of objectives and specific agreements related to the program to be developed, adequate and stable funding, appropriate supportive and ancillary resources, significant bureaucratic skill and flexibility, adequate time for appropriate community education and feedback from key community leaders, a certain amount of clairvoyance in anticipating difficulties and unexpected problems, an immense amount of perseverance and, finally--and probably as important as any other single element--timing and luck.

Data utilization for local mental health program development.

The importance of data collection and utilization for program development on the local level is emphasized, and a systematic approach to data collection for planning and evaluation of local mental health services is outlined. Examples of local programs in which such information has been employed are cited. Recommendations are made to facilitate the local planning function.