LONGITUDINAL STATISTICS OF MENTAL-HEALTH-CARE IN GERMANY

In 1975, an expert committee was commissioned by the government to eva luate psychiatric care in the Federal Republic of Germany. The results of this study showed that Germany lacked the infrastructure to provid e appropriate care for the mentally ill. Since then, measures have bee n taken to improve in-patient, out-patient and non-hospital care. Howe ver, in spite of these efforts, problems still exist. A closer analysi s revealed that, though state mental hospitals have consolidated their position in in-patient care, there are still few psychiatric departme nts in general hospitals. Also, there are extreme regional differences regarding non-hospital care as seen by the varying number of long-ter m inpatients in each region. Out-patient care, especially for the chro nically mentally ill, is also widely criticized. However, the biggest problem remains that of financing psychiatric care. Because most menta lly ill persons are not properly insured and depend on social welfare, the burden falls on the government. In addition to this, efforts to m odernize the antiquated mental health care system in the former East G ermany are especially costly. In the future, a larger part of the avai lable resources will go to providing community-based care in East Germ any, which was nonexistent before unification.