Editor’s Note

In rehabilitation, we don't often think about globalization or how what we do may have impact worldwide. Many of us don't have the time, inclination, yet maybe we need to think beyond our borders to pick up a global concept. Apparently the era of globalization is having negative implications for the provision of effective psychiatric rehabilitation programs. The question is whether the impact of globalization can be eliminated or even "neutralized" for the benefit of the patient and the family. The answer is positive. There are solutions like the empowerment of the international movement of families and users of services, with parallel efforts for self-actualization and self-determination of any suffering person. At the community level, the atmosphere could be changed by the systematic implementation of various mental health interventions directed at the modification of the local community's beliefs and attitudes towards the interactions of the mentally ill. We hope the authors discuss these issues in our journal. Regarding Iranian Rehabilitation Journal, beginning with this issue, Volume ۷, Number ۹, two issues will be published each year, one for spring and one for autumn. In this issue, we begin by exploring in more detail the concept of rehabilitation, then use a historical perspective to examine the changing nature and support for rehabilitation as a correctional goal over time. Our attention next turns to the current treatment programs that are found within the correctional system. Perhaps the most important consideration is whether rehabilitation "works" to reduce the likelihood that offenders will "recidivate". Accordingly, we also review the latest research on the effectiveness of treatment interventions. We conclude this entry with comments on the future of rehabilitation as a correctional goal.