Has the spirit of Basaglia affected Polish psychiatry?
The anti-psychiatry movement emerged in Poland in the 1960s, demanding changes in a system based on huge psychiatric hospitals. Nevertheless, large hospitals did not vanish. Even today, they provide three quarters of the beds and serve two thirds of all patients hospitalized within the psychiatric care system. To understand better the slow pace of the Polish reforms, a theory of diffusion of innovations has been applied. Written sources such as journals, private letters, and statistical archives have been reviewed. In addition, seven non-structured interviews were carried out with mental health workers who could remember reform efforts from the 1970s. A critical opinion of the Italian reform prevailed in Poland, based on second-hand sources and rumours. These described the Italian experiences as an irresponsible reform carried out with disregard of patients’ interests. Blaming Basaglia for irresponsible reforms provided a moral legitimacy for the slow pace of reforms in Poland.