[Community psychiatry. Evaluation and research perspectives]

The author deals with 3 possible types of epidemiological studies in community mental health services: studies on the efficiency measuring the difference between the objectives of each team and the results; studies on the distribution between the teams and within each team, institutionalised models and implicit defensive modalities elaborated by the staff against the fear of the insane; studies on the populations considered at risk by psychoanalytical theories en vogue (depressive mothers, relationship anomalies). These studies would have the advantage to limit the "etiopathogenic pretentions" in psychiatry and avoid the "realistic slide" of imaginary constructions (myths or fiction of origin) which the community health service psychiatrist needs to work with but which has only an uncertain relationship with historical truth.