[Current prospects in the community treatment of schizophrenia]

The advances of pharmacological and psychosocial therapies in recent years have deeply changed the perspectives on the treatment of schizophrenia in the community. The hospital-centred models are progressively being replaced with comprehensive community care models. After discussing the main aspects of this evolution at a conceptual level, the authors describe the currently available therapeutic interventions of schizophrenia in the community (pharmacological therapies, psychotherapies, psychosocial and family interventions) and their effectiveness. The authors also discuss the cost-effectiveness studies on the different models of treatment, namely those comparing the community-centred models with the more traditional ones. Finally, the organisational problems of the implementation of community-centred models are discussed and the perspectives in this field in our country are considered.