THE MILLHILL - A STUDY OF DISCHARGED PATIENTS EXPERIENCES OF CARE AT A THERAPEUTIC-COMMUNITY IN SWEDEN

This study reports on discharged patients' experiences of care at a th erapeutic community - The Millhill. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire and interviews. The focus of the study is on the former patients' own experiences of The Millhill and their present state. The majority report positive changes when they compare how they feel toda y with how they felt just prior to admission and just after discharge. Eighty-five percent claim that the major problem which led them to se ek treatment is less serious today than it was when they were admitted to The Millhill. Compared with other inpatient care, the interviews s howed that treatment at The Millhill was based on long-term individual treatment plans and that those undergoing treatment were treated as ' 'individuals'', whereas treatment in the psychiatric wards was more li ke ''storage'' and medication and those undergoing treatment were trea ted as ''patients''.