Research in the Alcohol Clinic and Around-the-Clock Psychiatric Service of the Massachusetts General Hospital

New patterns of treatment have been developed at Massachusetts General Hospital for alcoholics and other individuals often regarded as "unmotivated" and "unreachable" by traditional techniques. The crisis which brings the patient to the treatment facility is viewed not as the single problem to be resolved but as the means by which chronic psychopathology may be treated. The author describes the research leading to this shift in emphasis from crisis resolution to psychosocial restitution and discusses current investigations designed to extend the approach.