4. Decide if the following statements are true (T) or false (F), then correct the false ones.

T F
1. Deinstitutionalisation started in Italy.
2. Italian state mental hospitals had already closed before the Basaglia Law.
3. The reform aimed at the progressive social integration of mentally-ill people.
4. Mental Health services in France care for people according to the area they live in.
5. The French system guarantees equality in treatment.
6. Hospital-based care in France doesn’t exist any longer.
7. In the U.K., Margaret Thatcher’s government opposed the reform of mental healthcare.
8. The Care in the Community initiative aimed to cut the number of mental hospitals.

5. Complete the following table about deinstitutionalisation.

Country When it started Who started it What happened
Italy
France
The U.K.
The U.S.A.

COMPULSORY MEDICAL TREATMENT

Compulsory Medical Treatment (TSO – Trattamento Sanitario Obbligatorio in Italy) refers to medical treatment undertaken without the consent of the person being treated. In almost all circumstances, it refers to psychiatric treatment administered despite an individual’s objections. It is a procedure typically applied to individuals who have been diagnosed with a mental disorder and are judged to be a danger to themselves or to others.


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VINCENT VAN GOGH

Vincent Van Gogh, famous painter and artist, was considered mentally instable by many people in his short life. He suffered from epileptic seizures, maybe from excesses of absinthe – a very strong liquor popular among artists for inspiring greater creativity. Many have tried to give a definitive diagnosis of his illness through reading his personal letters. From them it seems clear that his depressive states were also accompanied by episodes of enormous energy and great passion. Van Gogh committed suicide at the age of 37.


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GLOSSARY

average: media
dismantling: smantellamento
to focus on: incentrarsi su
to grow smaller: ridursi
to state: affermare
to result in: avere come risultato