[Mobile emergency psychiatry in community psychiatry]

The de-institutionalization of psychiatric hospitals in the United States of America has resulted in the increasing use of psychiatric emergency services at the First Aid posts of General hospitals. Out-reaching psychiatric emergency services have existed in parts of Europe already for some time and were instituted in Amsterdam (The Netherlands), for instance, as long ago as 1930. The principles and practice of this kind of service, together with some basic figures, are presented, in order to spotlight the fact that such out-reaching services are of vital importance for the successful shift from hospital-based psychiatric care to community mental health care.