[The main results of the experiment regarding the changes in the principles of follow-up of patients with mental disorders].

In 1988--1989 an organizational experiment was carried out in Moscow, Leningrad, in the Latvian SSR, the Altai territory and in the Ivanovo region. Apart from the conventional follow-up of patients with mental diseases, the counselling form of the follow-up was established in the experimental territories. In accordance with this new principle, the treatment and counselling assistance to persons with mental disorders was rendered only after seeing a doctor. The main results of the experiment are as follows: 1) the follow-up group of patients noticeably diminished at the expense of a decrease of the number of persons taken under the follow-up studies as well as at the expense of more rapid removal of the patients from the register including their active transfer to the patients' group given medical advice; 2) in the follow-up group structure, there was an increase in the number of patients with psychotic disorders and mental retardation and a noticeable lowering of the number of patients with non-psychotic disorders; 3) the group of patients to be given medical advice dramatically increased in the experimental territories, while the number of patients suffering from non-psychotic disorders accounted among them for 80-85%. On the whole the experiment provided evidence in favour of the opportuneness and soundness of introduction into psychiatric practice of the two follow-up types: as far as patients with grave mental disorders and deep social decompensation are concerned, they should be followed up over time by means of conventional methods; as to patients with milder mental disorders, the counselling form of the follow-up is quite sufficient, provided they adapt themselves socially or are well protected (in respect to children and retired persons).