The Community Meeting: a Review

Abstract

Community meetings are conducted in many psychiatric units and institutions. The formats, methods and theoretical backgrounds of the meetings however are very diversified. Most of the claims for beneficial effects are based on clinical impressions or indirect observations. The few structured studies that have been performed show that community meetings have the effect of reducing unfavorable ward incidents, especially aggressive ones. Much research remains to be done to confirm these findings and to elucidate the basic ingredients of the community meeting in providing beneficial effects.