AN INTEGRATIVE IDEOLOGY TO GUIDE COMMUNITY-BASED MULTIDISCIPLINARY CARE OF SEVERELY MENTALLY-ILL PATIENTS

Most practitioners working in community support settings understand th e need to provide a comprehensive array of well-coordinated services t o individuals with severe mental disabilities. However, a lack of cons ensus about the conceptual basis of mental health care, especially bet ween advocates of psychosocial rehabilitation and psychiatric practiti oners who favor a more medically oriented approach, has hindered effor ts to optimize the effectiveness of the multidisciplinary teams found in most community support programs. The authors articulate 18 basic as sumptions that have been helpful in their clinical practice in buildin g an integrative ideology among prefessionals with disparate training and orientations. The assumptions attempt to balance the reality of ps ychiatric disorders with a fundamental interest in maintaining the aut onomy and dignity of people with severe mental disorders.