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Community psychiatry in Oceania: Fifteen months' experience in Micronesia

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Summary

Fifteen months' work as the only psychiatrist for the 120,000 people of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (Micronesia) is described. Community psychiatry principles and approaches had to be adjusted to the practical realities of attempting to serve the far-flung and sparsely populated islands of Micronesia. The major thrust of the program was giving clinical consultation/supervision and teaching doctors and paraprofessionals basic concepts of mental health. Psychiatric assistance to courts and jails regarding psychiatrically disturbed people was another significant effort. Inall work in Micronesia, it was found that a teaching component could easily be built in, since basic psychological and psychiatric knowledge was needed and desired by the Micronesians

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA

    L. G. Wilson

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  1. L. G. Wilson
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Wilson, L.G. Community psychiatry in Oceania: Fifteen months' experience in Micronesia. Soc Psychiatry 15, 175–179 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00577987

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00577987

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