The Italian psychiatric 'revolution' is the story of a range of flexible, changing formulas, exposed to many 'contaminations'. Historical reconstructions have remained anchored to the lure of a founding myth and an eponymous hero. This essay aims to shed light on the multi-faceted concept of the Italian 'moral management revolution'. We especially focus on: the circumstances which triggered the innovation in its various form; the 'prototypes' available in other countries which have been variously recombined in the different local contexts; the 'special path' of action strategies which has driven the change towards radical closure of the asylums; and the cause-effect relationship between the above 'special path' and several aspects of the current state of deadlock.
Keywords: Crisis intervention; models of mental health care; polycentric revolution; psychiatric reform; ‘mad’ strategy.