[The psychiatric hospital in the process of changing. Reorganization attempts with special reference to social psychiatric and psychotherapeutic measures].

The author reviews briefly the recent history of psychiatric hospitals, with particular reference to changes which have taken place in the Scandinavian countries. He also reviews the new expectations society has of psychiatric hospitals and of their role. He concludes that the psychiatric hospital has still an important role to play but that its organization and aims will have to change. He gives a number of guidelines for the changes and describes his own experience as director of two psychiatric hospitals in Norway which under his guidance underwent the transition from the old to their new function. The hospital here described in detail is called 'Gaustad', situated in Oslo. He outlines the planning procedure and the way the plans were implemented. Finally he asked each professional group working in the hospital as well as the patients to evaluate the changes. By and large, all groups seemed to welcome the new way of working. Finally staff and patients give opinions as to what functions should be expected of the hospital in the future and the author gives his own ideas. He feels the psychiatric hospitals will have to change, but they have to continue to play an important and, in some ways, unique role.