At Bryce Hospital patients whose illnesses are considered to have a biochemical basis, such as schizophrenia or manic-depressive illness, are assigned to a "responsible patient" class in which they are taught the rights and obligations of responsible patients: to know about the illness, to participate in treatment planning, and to follow treatment routines. The class is a segment of the instruction given in the hospital's Psychological Learning Center and is based on the medical model. The authors describe the class, the learning center, and the historical and theoretical antecedents of such an approach.
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