Geel, Belgium:  Eight Centuries of Deinstitutionalized Treatment for Mental Patients

Geel is well known for the early adoption of de-institutionalization in psychiatric care.[3] This practice is based on the positive effects that placement in a host family gives the patient, most importantly access to family life that would otherwise have been denied. The legendary 7th-century Saint Dymphna, who had fled to the Geel area from Ireland, is usually credited with this type of care. The earliest Geel infirmary and the model where patients go into town, interact with the community during the day, and return to the hospital at night to sleep, date from the 13th century.[4]