Community-Based Psychiatric Treatment in Romania: Past, Present, Future

Community psychiatry has its origins in the West, in the 1950s, when many institutions for the mentally ill were closed down in an effort to shift the focus from hospital-based care to community-based. The aim of the current paper is to review the available literature on the community-based psychiatric treatment in Romania. The Romanian Ministry of Health is dedicated to promoting mental health education and to creating a mental health system that ensures that every patient has access to care and treatments designed for their own particular needs. Today, in Romania, as across the entirety of Central and Eastern Europe, mental health systems are transitioning from hospital-based care to community-based services. The RECOVER-E project, the SEE Mental Health Project, the "Horizons" project, among others, showcase Romania's mental healthcare system in terms of improving the chances of mental health patients' recovery. Community Psychiatry in Romania is a budding field that can greatly aid in the management and treatment of patients with mental disorders from both urban and rural areas. By applying the principles of deinstitutionalization and community health care at a systemic level, resources may be invested in the creation of a strong network of specialists that treat patients in their own living spaces.