[Considerations of the value of patient travel in long-term treatment of chronic psychotic patients].

After ten years of experience with therapeutic vacations in a department for chronic psychotic patients the aptitude of these vacations as part of a long term ward-treatment programme is discussed. A vacation with eight patients illustrates problems and disadvantages. It is concluded from these experiences that therapeutic vacations can help in several ways during the initial development of a social-psychiatric programme but that the group of patients who profit from such vacations should be more clearly specified. Above all, however, it is concluded that the quantitative augmentation of extramural therapeutic activities cannot be a substitute for the qualitative development of a ward treatment concept. This should have as its goal the establishment of a niche in which schizophrenic experience as a way of survival is possible and worth living.