ABSTRACT
Treatment of psychiatric illness in Taiwan has primarily focused on institutional treatment. Building social inclusion for psychiatric patients can not only help patients in stepping out of the institution but also enhance their likelihood for recovery. The objectives of this study were to help psychiatric patients be gradually included in the community through green environment conservation efforts and to enable community residents understand psychiatric patients’ efforts in protecting and maintaining the community environment. The research participants comprised 11 members of a community rehabilitation center in Central Taiwan, and the research methods involved a survey regarding willingness to sweep streets, a waste sorting and recycling test, and a six-week community street sweeping program. A total of five participants agreed to participate in the street sweeping program, and all of them passed the waste sorting and recycling test. The six-week street sweeping activity was then conducted, followed by a qualitative analysis. The results reveal that the participants had a substantial improvement in their sense of self and self-understanding, which further induced their behavior of mutual help and social interaction. This indicates that the green environment conservation approach exerted significant treatment effect on institutionalized patients.
