A comparison of needs of patients with schizophrenia in five European countries: the EPSILON Study

Objective: To compare the occurrence of needs of patients with schizophreni a in Amsterdam, Copenhagen, London, Santander and Verona. Method: Patients with schizophrenia were interviewed with the Camberwell As sessment of Need. The mean numbers of total, met and unmet needs were compa red across the sites. Ratings for individual domains were also examined. Me ans were adjusted, using multiple regression analysis, to control for patie nt differences between sites. Results: The highest levels of unmet need were in Amsterdam and London. The number of met needs were similar. Adjusting for patient differences reduce d the estimated number of unmet needs and total needs in Copenhagen, but ma de little difference elsewhere. There were many site differences for indivi dual domains. Conclusion: Needs vary between different countries. Unmet needs are greater in large urban areas like London and Amsterdam. Differences in the pattern of individual needs may be partly explained in terms of service provision.