[Empirical investigation to assess the quality of psychiatric treatment]

Quality of treatment is of increasing importance in psychiatry. Since the 1950s psychiatry has developed plenty of psychological and occupational approaches in addition to an arsenal of biological procedures. These treatment options have contributed to markedly lower the residence times in psychiatric medical centers to about 3 or 4 weeks.

The quality of treatment of a psychiatric clinic was evaluated on the basis of a limited number of parameters and in a short time. The data of 657 patients were evaluated.

The patients profited significantly from the treatment, particularly when specific therapies were available as in depression or schizophrenia. About ¼ of the patients received no psychoactive drugs. Most of the patients could be discharged from hospital within 3 weeks. The legal basis of hospitalization did not play a decisive role in the success of treatment. Most of the patients were after-treated by general practitioners.

The result underlines the effectiveness of psychiatric treatment, but also the importance of cooperation between inpatient and outpatient treatment.