A Study on the Possibility and Strategy of Social Work Intervening in the Recovery Process of Patients with Mental Illness in Community

The community-based mental health services in Mainland China mainly focuses on the medical treatment and management of patients with mental illness as well as on the mental health education. This cannot meet the high demand from families with mental patients and has a great distance from the advanced principles and concept of successful community mental health services in foreign countries. As one important force of the community mental health service, social work has a great potential for development. It should combine psychotherapy with social support and make full use of the resources of patients with mental illness and thier family members.