A look back

The Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology was established by regulation of the Council of Ministers of March 24, 1951, on the initiative of a group of psychiatrists and neurobiologists, including Jerzy Konorski, an outstanding neurophysiologist. The Institute was to function as a Polish center for the promotion of scientific and clinical research in the field of mental and neurological diseases. The first director was the neurologist Zygmunt W. Kuligowski. For the first 23 years, the Institute was located in a pavilion on the premises of the State Hospital for the Neurological and Mentally Ill in Pruszków. A staff of 60 people worked in difficult premises. Scientific activity was based on psychiatric and neurological clinical departments and departments and laboratories of: neurophysiology, biochemistry, neuropathology and health care organization. The Institute was mainly concerned with the introduction of physiological methods to clinical research and the dissemination of Pavlovian concepts in medicine. In 1973, the Institute was moved to new buildings in Warsaw at Al. Sobieskiego, near Wilanów. New clinical and theoretical departments and laboratories were opened. The research covered the organization of psychiatric and neurological health care, genetics, pathogenesis and treatment of affective diseases, neurotic disorders, abuse of alcohol and other psychoactive substances, psychopharmacology, psychotherapy and neurochemistry. In the late 1980s, modern diagnostic methods and research techniques were introduced, including computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). At the same time, the Institute served as a psychiatric and neurological hospital. In 1992, the Institute was appointed the World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Research and Training in Mental Health.

Shaping mental health policy

The Institute's role in shaping nationwide mental health policy was particularly important. The Institute undertook work on psychiatric legislation, initiated before the war, but only after many years, in 1994, the "Mental Health Protection Act" was passed by Parliament. The Institute systematically monitors its implementation. In 1967, the first comprehensive program for the development of psychiatric treatment in Poland was developed. This program included, among others, demands for the development of hospitals, mental health clinics, sheltered workshops, and a rehabilitation program. In the next report from 1980, emphasis was placed on patients' rights, including respect for freedom of contact and secrecy of correspondence, management of money, the right to more frequent contact with family, to use holidays (leave leave), and access to the press, radio, television, and books. It was particularly important to standardize the rules for using direct coercion against patients. In line with the prevailing trends aimed at the development of psychiatric care based on the principles of community psychiatry, work was undertaken in the 1990s on the next version of the psychiatric health care program ("Mental Health Protection Program"). It envisages a far-reaching transformation and modernization of hospital treatment through the development of a network of departments at general hospitals, while simultaneously reducing the number of beds in large psychiatric hospitals. The promotion of mental health and the prevention of mental disorders are the main goal of the program.

Addiction Issues

Social issues, particularly policies regarding alcohol and drug addiction, are an important focus of the Institute's work. Since 1976, the Institute has hosted meetings of the expert group of the Permanent Committee of the Council of Ministers for Combating Alcoholism, which prepared a report on alcohol policy issues. The report criticized the previous efforts, which mainly focused on treatment and anti-alcohol propaganda, recommending the development of a coherent, multidisciplinary alcohol policy that would coordinate the actions and interests of various stakeholders. The Institute’s employees, as experts, participated in discussions between the government and representatives of "Solidarity" while drafting new legal regulations. The result of this debate was the passing of the 1982 law, during the martial law period, titled “On Sobriety Education and Counteracting Alcoholism. In the 1980s, there was a shift in the approach to addiction issues. The public health perspective promoted by the World Health Organization replaced the previous clinical view. The Institute undertook extensive sociological, psychosocial, and epidemiological research, while also maintaining a biological approach. Nearly 100 scientific research institutions from across Poland participated in alcohol-related studies coordinated by the Institute. International cooperation was established with scientific institutions and organizations dealing with addiction issues, allowing the experiences of other countries to be applied in Poland. Until the late 1970s, drug addiction in Poland was a marginal issue, although a systematic increase in the number of people using homemade drugs was noted. The Institute prepared a report on the drug addiction situation and played a significant role in drafting the Anti-Drug Addiction Act (adopted in 1985). The law did not penalize drug possession, which set it apart from the legislation in other countries. Contrary to expectations, the liberal nature of the law did not lead to an increase in drug consumption, and drug addiction was not driven underground. This allowed for early intervention in HIV and AIDS issues and for taking up matters related to education. The years of political transformation brought an increase in alcohol consumption and the spread of drug addiction. The Institute conducts epidemiological and social research aimed not only at monitoring ongoing changes but also at evaluating current policies. In the last decade, the Institute has been involved in developing and implementing programs to reduce the demand for psychoactive substances, including educational programs, programs targeting local communities, and promoting harm reduction programs (such as the first methadone program in Poland and research on needle exchange programs for drug users). The conducted research and gathered practical experience played a significant role in drafting subsequent laws. The Institute’s expert opinions and reports, commissioned by the Ministry of Health, the Chancellery of the Sejm and Senate, and the President of Poland, contributed to the adoption of non-repressive provisions in the new "Act on Counteracting Drug Addiction" (1997) and helped prevent excessively liberal solutions regarding alcohol policy in the amended “Act on Sobriety Education and Counteracting Alcoholism.”