Criticism on the Dutch mental health care in word and imgae

DR. SAAR ROELOFS

CRITICISM ON THE DUTCH MENTAL HEALTH CARE
IN WORD AND IMAGE

HOW THE CARE CAN BE IMPROVED

A TRIPTYCH

Dr. Saar Roelofs worked for many years in the Dutch mental health care, as clinical psychologist/behavior therapist, scientific researcher and manager. Over the years she acquired a profound insight in the problems which the mental heath care faces. She has recorded her findings in three writings: in the books Do not disturb (about the outpatient mental health care, 1997) and Who is crazey, actually (about the relationsship between therapist and client, 2008), and in the E-document No talent for conformism (a look back at her career). The writings together form a critical tryptich about the Dutch mental health care. In it she also shows how things can be improved. Richly illustrated with with examples from the daily practice, quotes by professionals, passages from the world literature and cartoons. They are accessible to a wide audience.

The triptych is still relevant :

1) Diagnostics are still inadequate: therapist emphasize their clients' intrapsychological disorders and have little regard for the social context in which the complaints can develop.

2) The treatment of a PTSD is still not self-evident.

3) Even today, clients with a relatively simple request for help are treated earlier than clients with serious psychological problems.

4) There is invariably too little attention for the fact that unresolved emotional problems of the therapist can block or damage the therapeutic process.

5) The healthy and strong sides of clients are still underestimated.

6) The mental healt care for clients with a migration background is still inadequate.

7) The diversity among therapists is still limited.

8) The prevention of mental health problems has been neglected for decades.

According to the author, these factors contribute to the still long waiting lists in the Dutch mental health care.

Book
Do Not DisturB
(Belvédère1997, text in Dutch)

Do not disturb is a critical reflection on the Dutch outpatient mental health care The author discusses the bureaucracy, the inadequate diagnostics, the often ineffecient treatment methods and the undervaluation of preventive care. She also presents several usually unsuccessful attempts to innovate the mental health care, includig the care for clients wit an migration background. Do not disturb ends with a description of the developments in the regional mental health care after the Bijlmer Air Crash Disaster. The book is based on the critical professional literature, dossier research and own observations.

Book
WHO IS CRAZY, ACTUALLY?
(Scriptum 2008, text in Dutch)

Who is crazy, actually? shows that the boundaries between "healthy" and "ill" are not as sharp as one often supposes in the mental health care. The book comments on the current diagnostics. Furthermore it shows that the treatment can derail by unresolved emotional problems of the therapist. The author also notes that therapists often take the powerlessness of clients for granted. She discusses how they could make better use of the resilience of their clients. Finally the author describes how people in psycHological disstress are able to tap into unsuspected inner sources.

E-document
NO TALENT FOR CONFORMISM
(webpage in English, 2024)

In No talent for conformism Saar Roelofs looks back on her personal experiences as a department manager in the Dutch outpatient mental health care around the Bijlmer airplane crash where the traumatized eyewitnesses and surviving relatives were treated. As a clinical psychologist she found it important to remain true to the insights which she considerd vital for clients. In the E-document she explains what happend next on the work floor.

For an extended retrospect on Saar Roelofs' career as researcher, therapist and manager (in Dutch) see Geen talent voor volgzaamheid

How the mental health care can be improved (text in Dutch)

Passages from Do not disturb (1997) and Who is crazy, actually? (2008)

The complete website www.saarroelofs.nl is selected as digital heritage
for inclusion in the Dutch Royal Library, the national library.