Michele Tansella

A concise guide to establishing, developing and evaluating modern mental health services, providing the relevant evidence to support necessary choices between alternative models of care. It includes a step-by-step guide to what to do and how to do it, taking into account the needs of people with mental illnesses in the general population, the available resources, and the main policy requirements. It also gives readers practical resources to assist them in their role in establishing and developing mental health services with examples of best practice taken from countries world-wide. In addition, key relevant issues such as international agreements on human rights and guidelines on best practice to reduce stigma and discrimination are explained.

There have been major changes to mental health services internationally in recent years revolving around the concept of care in the community. Although speed of change and precise service mechanisms differ between countries there is nevertheless increasingly widespread consensus on key components essential to adequate care provision. This in turn provides an opportunity to develop a widely acceptable model framework to direct future developments. There is certainly still room for reform in recognition of specific needs and improvements in treatment and care intervention. This book proposes a simple model which can be used as a guide to increased clinical effectiveness through focused evidence-based reform. Using a time/space framework, it is intended to act as a practical aid to diagnosis of strengths and weaknesses in services that will be used by care providers, trainees and planners both at local and higher levels.

There have been major changes to mental health services internationally in recent years revolving around the concept of care in the community. Although speed of change and precise service mechanisms differ between countries there is nevertheless increasingly widespread consensus on key components essential to adequate care provision. This in turn provides an opportunity to develop a widely acceptable model framework to direct future developments. There is certainly still room for reform in recognition of specific needs and improvements in treatment and care intervention. This book proposes a simple model which can be used as a guide to increased clinical effectiveness through focused evidence-based reform. Using a time/space framework, it is intended to act as a practical aid to diagnosis of strengths and weaknesses in services that will be used by care providers, trainees and planners both at local and higher levels.