Evening star., 1940-02-20
Psychiatric
Service Urged
After Survey
Proposal Offered
By Committee Of
SocioI Agencies

The establishment Of the 'fbe-
ginnings of a psychiatric service
within the District Health Depart.
ment" to help solve the problems
of mental health, was recommended
yesterday by the Mental Hygiene
Committee Of the Council Of Social
Agencies.
"Such q service under tax sup.
ported Offices can and should be
made at this time," DR.. Paul Ever
hardt, director Of the Washington
Institute Of Mental Hygiene and
chairman Of the committee, declared.
The committees recommendation,
made after a thorough study Of
conditions here, were read by DR..
Ewerhardt at a meeting Of the
council at the Y. w. c. A.
Establishment of a study home
for children displaying severe
problems or conditions" and for
whom no provisions are now made,
also was recommended. The home
would provide opportunity to study
the problems before commitment Of
the children to institutions.
The committee expressed its be-
lief as to the fitness Of DR.. George
G. Rutland, District health officer,
to conduct program OF psychiatric
service, particularly because of his
experience in such a program in
Syracuse. DR.. Daniel L. Seckinger,
assistant health officer, pointed out
that a $4,000 item providing for
a psychiatric clinic had been in
cluded in the 1910 department
budget, but had not been granted.
DR.. Whipple Speaks.
Problems encountered in the
treatment Of the mentally i'll were
outlined by several speakers at the
luncheon.
A recommendation that the men,
tai health program be started with
expectant mothers was made by DR..
Dorothy v. Whipple, division of re-
search and child development, Chill
dren's Bureau, Department of Labor.
DR.. Whipple pointed out that moth
ers-to-be are most responsive to
education aimed at providing suit
able conditions for their children.
Parents often need guidance and
training" she said. There is often
a strain between parents when a
child is to be born. Emotional
crises frequently are precipitated by
the financial situation, the fact
that the birth of the child was not
planned, because of the wife's i'll
health, or because of fear Of some
thing happening to the child.
In mental health no less than
In physical health" she said, "pre-
vention is the keynote Of modern
care"
DR.. Joseph Gilbert, chief of psy.
chiatry at Gallinger Hospital, speak.
ing on Some Of the End Results
of Lack Of Mental Health" empha-
sized that personalities are formed
early. A child may grow I'D with
an overdeveloped hostility toward
its parents, he said, which may
manifest itself actively or negatively
when the child becomes an adult
Means Of Expression.
Such feeling is actively ex.
pressed through violence or crime
or the adult equivalent of temper
tantrums, such as sit-down strike
or passive resistance, he said. Neg
atively, it would be expressed
through such media as drink, drugs
suicide or mental ill health, repre-
senting a withdrawal from the
world.
DR.. James Lewald, superintendent
Of the District Training School
said conservative estimate woulc
place the number Of feeble-mindec
persons in the District at approx.
mately $4,000.
The reduction of this number, hi
declared" can be accomplished only
through the institution Of program
which will enable us to attack thu
problem from its various angles"
: He recommended a compulsory
program for the social control of thu
feeble-minded to include the identi.
fication Of the mental defective II
the community; the registration O.
those found defective; an jnvesti
cation Of their homes for assuranc.
, they are being cared for; specia
education of those who can remair
in the community; institutionaliza
ton Of those in danger of becoming
delinquent, q law, making sterliza.
ton permissible to prevent repro
duction by the feeble-minded, ant
provision for adequate social investi
cation to permit supervision. DR.
. Winfred Overholser, superintendent
of st. Elizabeth's Hospital, ane
Police Court Judge Edward M
Curran, who were scheduled tt
speak, were unable to attend tn,
| meeting