Beyond Madness

A major question facing therapists today is how to treat psychosis effectively while maintaining patients' dignity, self-respect and, as far as possible, their psychological and social functioning. The authors of Beyond Madness have all been associated with the Arbours Crisis Centre in London, a unique facility established in 1973 where therapists and patients, or guests, live together in order to establish a space where extremes of distress can be tolerated, understood and ameliorated. This book provides important and engaging accounts of the special personal and interpersonal care offered by the Arbours Crisis Centre and kindred facilities.

The authors demonstrate different ways of working with psychotic persons within individual, group and community settings. They describe the extraordinary experience of living and working at the Centre including the five stages of stay that guests invariably pass through. In addition, they discuss different strategies for intervening, especially with people who self-harm, and provide a theoretical framework for their interventions. They explore issues of power, authority and money, and show that the work of the Centre is cost-effective in comparison to other treatment modes.

At a time when biological treatments predominate, Beyond Madness illustrates and argues for a humane, useful and cost-effective alternative to traditional, physical, psychiatric interventions.