Current trends of mental health care in Belgium.

Till 1970, most psychiatric patients were "treated" in legally closeed wards. The nursing and medical personnel were scarce. A fundamental change is now slowly taking place. From a legal point of view, many patients forcedly admitted are no longer under this legal status. From a hospital point of view, new standards have been enforced concerning medical and paramedical personnel, architecture and function. Another fact: in 1972 the closed psychiatric institutes were at last regarded as hospitals. Paralleling these changes, an effort is being made to create mental health services outside of the hospital. All of these modifications should allow the setting up of a curative and preventive psychiatry. The therapeutic function of the hospital should replace the residential function of the psychiatric hospitals.