BEHAVIOR-THERAPY AND SCHIZOPHRENIA IN CONTEXT - CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES PROVIDED WITHIN THE CHANGING MENTAL-HEALTH SYSTEM

Research reported in the last two issues of Behaviour Change, and else where, shows that cognitive behaviour therapy significantly improves a number of the problems suffered by people with schizophrenia. However , behaviour therapy alone does not constitute adequate care of schizop hrenia, and inadequate mental health services undermine the effective implementation of behaviour therapy. In Australia, mental health servi ces for people with severe psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia are grossly inadequate, but are planned to change substantially in th e late 1990s. Changes include a significant shift in resources toward community-based care, expansion of the range of treatment and rehabili tation services available, and increased integration of service provis ion across government and nongovernment sectors. These planned changes present a challenge to those interested in behaviour therapy to go be yond narrowly focused interventions to develop effective systems of re habilitation.