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l'Information Psychiatrique. Volume 81, Number 4, 337-43, Avril 2005, Santé mentale en population générale

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Author(s) : Lise Demailly

Summary : Compartmentalization and cooperation in the treatment of mental disorders.Starting from a clear-cut territory – the urban community of Lille – and an investigation characterised by hands-on observation and interviews, the procedure involved in the treatment of mental disorders was studied. This area was analysed from a global point of view, like a market in which different professionals participate, voluntarily or not, often consciously, in the process of constructing their clientele. This constructing of “recesses” stems not only from an economic logic but from a logic issuing from the professional tastes and passions surrounding the construction of the user’s “demand” or of the most crafted or industrialized form of the work. The absence of any inter-professional discursive training, as well as the existence of informal networks and the stigmatizing of the mentally ill, contributes to the inertia of the system. However, some bridging initiatives are being attempted with the help of public politicians or militants.

Keywords : Treatment, compartmentalization, networks, mental health, coordination, cooperation, professionals, stigmatization