[Identifying mental health service needs of persons with schizophrenia]

The present study aimed to identify the needs and describe the use of twenty mental health services in a population of chronic schizophrenic patients living in two regions in Quebec (Estrie and Centre-Sud). An attempt was also made to determine the principal reasons for which some services were not being used when they were identified as clinically required. The population considered was composed of the patients (N = 88) who had been discharged from the psychiatric care units of five general hospitals over a period of five months in 1982, and for whom the attending psychiatrist could confirm with certainty a diagnosis of chronic schizophrenia in accordance with the criteria of DSM-III. Medical files of these patients were reviewed, and the patients and psychiatrists themselves were interviewed separately regarding the patients' needs and use of twenty mental health services over the period from the seventh to the twelfth month after discharge from hospital. Results of the study show that services which were most often identified as clinically required were: 1) taking of neuroleptics, 2) organization of leisure activities, 3) case management, and 4) individual supportive therapy. At the same time, results indicate a poor fit between needs and use for most of rehabilitation and psychosocial services. The main reasons for non-use of services which were identified as clinically required are also presented. The implications of these results for the organization of mental health services for persons suffering from chronic schizophrenia are discussed, especially the importance of case management services.