[Defining quality in psychiatric care]

Since the report of an expert commission in 1975 concerning the situation of psychiatric care in Germany, the public has become aware of the need of reforms. In spite of sustainable improvements in mental health care, there is ongoing skepticism and fundamental criticism about what has been achieved. The following considerations of what constitutes quality in mental health care are directed strictly toward structure quality, which is not sufficient in itself but rather a prerequisite for good treatment and care. As such, structure quality includes health policy and organisational, financial, and human resources as a whole. The concept of need-led care, manifold aspects determining the utilisation of mental health care facilities, and the potential influence of the public on mental health institutions are described and critically discussed. In doing so, it becomes clear that mental health care today is always embedded in superordinate societal values.