Personality disordered individuals: the Henderson Hospital model of treatment

An innovative outreach service for people with severe personality disorders: Patient characteristics and clinical activities

“…Table 1 shows levels of various behavioural indicators of disturbance and characteristics associated with social deprivation and isolation in the 12 months prior to referral for the 148 patients for whom data are available. These characteristics are similar to those reported in patients admitted to the parent inpatient unit (Henderson Hospital), although slightly lower levels of previous inpatient admissions and suicide attempts are found (Norton, 1992). Self-mutilation (66%) usually takes the form of cutting (most commonly of the arms or wrists), but burning and hitting are also reported.…”

Psychodynamic perspectives on staff response to inpatient misdemeanour

“…The last point about maturational change supports the notion that patients, even in TCs, voluntarily place themselves in a childlike role; treatment for severely personality-disordered patients at the Henderson Hospital is described as aiming at 'psychological maturation' (Norton, 1992(Norton, , 1996Norton and Dolan 1995). Nolan and Dolan (1995) comment that the traditional psychiatric response to acting out usually results in 'the absence of creative learning experience, hence an incapacity for the individual patient to mature psychologically'.…”

Dangerous severe personality disorder

“…There is evidence that treatment there significantly reduces the treatment burden placed on the health services after discharge (Dolan et al, 1996;Dolan & Norton, 1997). Important features of the regime at the Henderson hospital (Norton, 1992), which is run as a therapeutic community, include:…”