Multimodal outpatient group treatment for the psychiatrically disabled.

Outpatient clinics gradually accumulate patients with longstanding disabilities. The traditional treatment approach is to see such patients in brief, intermittent, individual visits. Staff generally dislikes treating such patients and patients may, in part, maintain their symptoms in order to maintain ties with a nurturing institution. The experience with an alternative approach, weekly group meetings using a number of helping modalities, is described. Although no panacea, the approach appears to provide a reasonably effective, efficient, and enjoyable way of helping chronically disabled patients.