Greece joined the European Community in 1981 and, three years later, the Co
mmission of the European Communities provided financial and technical assis
tance under EEC Regulation 815/84 for the modernisation of the traditional
psychiatric care system, with the emphasis on decentralisation of mental he
alth services and the development of community-based services, as well as o
n deinstutionalization of long-stay patients and improvement of conditions
in public mental hospitals. Over the last 11 years, the implementation of t
he EEG Reg. 815/84 programme contributed to a significant shift towards ext
ramural care and rehabilitation. The role of the large mental hospitals has
gradually been diminished and a large number of long-stay patients have be
en deinstitutionalised. It is commonly accepted that the EEC-funded psychia
tric reform programme, despite inadequacies and constraints, had an impact
on the changing mental health scene in Greece. (C) 1999 Editions scientifiq
ues et medicales Elsevier SAS.