RECLAIMING BEHAVIORAL HEALTH-CARE

What would it be like if ''we the people'' could make the behavioral h ealthcare system work for us? Perhaps we can! With the advent of netwo rked online multimedia technology, standardized quality measurement sy stems, behavioural risk assessment and management methods, and other i nnovations, direct consumer control of behavioural healthcare within o ur reach. The authors argue that a consumer-driven system will be more convenient, efficient, effective, and affordable than the current hea lth plan-driven, provider-driven, and government-driven systems that a re designed to meet the needs of many stakeholders other than the cons umer of behavioural healthcare services.