Asylum to Action ― Paddington Day Hospital, Therapeutic Communities And Beyond

Spandler (social work, U. of Central Lancashire) re-examines the radical psychiatry and the patients' movement behind the libertarian therapeutic community (TC) at Paddington Day Hospital in the 1970s. She describes the formation of the Mental Patients Union, the first of its kind in the UK, and the negative reactions to it in such works as Baron's Asylum to Anarchy, raises questions about how TCs relate to the service user movements, psychiatry and psychoanalytic methods and offers suggestions for improvements, and advocates closer and sustained attention to modern practice in general and proposes team approaches that meet the needs of both the patients and the greater society. The result is a fascinating rereading of social movements and critical social theory. Annotation c2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Helen Spandler is a Research Fellow in the Department of Social Work at the University of Central Lancashire. She gained a PhD from Manchester Metropolitan University and has published in the area of mental health including young people and self harm and direct payments.