[Patterns of psychiatric follow-up care outside the psychiatric hospital (author's transl)].

This study was devoted to collecting information from 57 psychiatric hospitals in the Federal Republic of Germany with regard to the quality of the care afforded to chronic psychiatric patients. The study took place during 1977/1978, and concerned the therapeutic and general quality of transitional hostels, homes for long-term follow-up care, and homes for the aged and multiple-handicapped patients. At the same time, the present-day effectivity of sociolegal rehabilitation aid measures was compared with the results of corresponding opinions polls conducted in 1973/1974. The following conclusions were drawn: 1. "Non-clinical" mental health care of chronic psychiatric patients (mentally handicapped persons) requires specific pedagogico-therapeutic programmes specially adapted to the requirements of these patients. These requirements differ considerably from the conventional style of "ward care" which has developed in psychiatric hospitals. Regional fusion or co-operation of these homes is strongly recommended. 2. The effectivity of sociolegal rehabilitation aids for the mentally handicapped continues to be very low. This is partly due to the poor level of training and knowledge of the therapeutic personnel. Hence it is absolutely imperative to arrange for knowledge of this admittedly rather dry sociolegal subject matter, by means of suitable training and instruction.