Mental Health
Editorial
Interest in Society is nowadays widespread and the ways in which it shows itself are varied and changing. Indeed, the meanings borne by the word ” social ” through the past century are themselves significant enough.
The wider aspects of sociology and its relation to other sciences are no doubt extremely fascinating; they are also most complex and deserve much careful study on the lines indicated most admirably by Dr Kershaw in a volume modestly entitled An Approach to Social Medicine (reviewed elsewhere in this number). It is however not these aspects but the practical handling of specific cases which form most of the daily work of many of our readers. What are, or what should be the relations of the Social Worker to the General Practitioner, the Psychiatrist (in Mental Hospital and Outpatient Clinic) the Probation Officer and the Education Authorities ? There are obviously many different opinions and it is too early to attempt to lay down firm principles. But it is already appropriate and possible to provide more detailed information about the Services which the Social Worker can use, and discuss how he or she can do so to the. best advantage to both. We are, therefore, publishing a series of articles written, by invitation, to describe some of these branches of work. The first of this series will appear in the next issue.
Again, there are certain specific problems which j may present themselves in any of these fields. | Social Workers in particular may therefore be glad of a comprehensive survey. One of these is the case of the repatriate, whose difficulties were at first overshadowed by the more acute (and dramatic) need of the released prisoner-of-war, and who is now being neglected for the opposite reason?that iis, the pendulum has swung the other way, and the resettlement of both ex-prisoner and ex-serviceman is regarded as an easy matter.
It is true that generally their resettlement into jobs has been much easier than was expected: but their resettlement into their families is still an acute social question as Social Worker^ and the divorce figures testify. The reasons for this are no doubt partly social and partly psychological: Dr Ratcliffe’s article, in this issue, will be welcomed as a most enlightened and stimulating study from one whose interest has already been turned into practice.
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