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A witness seminar: the development of old age psychiatry in Britain, 1960-1989. Themes, lessons and highlights
- Authors:
- HILTON Claire, ARIE Tom, NICOLSON Malcolm
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 25(6), June 2010, pp.596-603.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
A medical history witness seminar is a form of oral history, where people associated with a particular health care development meet with former colleagues to discuss, reflect and present their account of key changes with which they had involvement. This article describes one such meeting, and creates a record of the development of old age psychiatry in Britain, as seen through the eyes of some of the people who participated in building it, from its inception until it was officially recognised as a specialty by the Department of Health in 1989. The group discussions were in the format of a witness seminar, which was audio-recorded and transcribed, and witnesses also provided written biographical information. While early old age psychiatrists had often encountered opposition from other health care professionals and managers, their experiences were demonstrating just how much could be achieved in improving the lives of older mentally ill people. This paper describes how they conveyed their enthusiasm for their work in both clinical and university settings. Clinical creativity, support when working in professional isolation, and dealing with opposition benefited from both the development of the Group for the Psychiatry of Old Age at the Royal College of Psychiatrists and from close links with existing geriatric medicine.