[Psychiatric chronicity and organization of services]

A study conducted in a Montreal area psychiatric institution focuses on the impact of chronic patients on in-patients services delivery system. This article shows a disarticulation of the system, from the first to the second line and within the second line. The authors suggest that when the length of stay is extended beyond a certain time frame, it becomes increasingly difficult to reconcile continuity and complementarity of services: by congesting the system, chronic psychiatric population is decreasing the accessibility of services.