Basaglia’s international influence

This chapter tries to answer the question of whether the thinking and the work of Franco Basaglia are widespread and influential outside Italy. In the 1970s, Basaglia had a remarkable impact both on the new Spanish psychiatry and also in Brazil where, through a series of lectures, he inspired the early stages of the Brazilian Psychiatric Reform. Since Basaglia’s premature death in 1980, his vision and thinking have continued to influence psychiatric practice and mental health reform. However, distortion of Basaglia’s thinking may be present in some psychiatric literature. The most common distortions about Basaglia can be summarized as follows: (1) Basaglia belonged to the movement of anti-psychiatry; (2) Basaglia’s approach was driven by ideology; and (3) Basaglia’s work was essentially inspired by a philanthropic impetus. All three statements are inaccurate and essentially wrong: they will be challenged by the authors of this chapter.