Lomest psychiatric case register: the statistical context required for planning.

Descriptive statistics derived from a psychiatric case register are presented. They may be useful for a more rational planning of new services, and provide a preliminary evaluation of the effects of the recent Act (1978) which has abolished large mental hospitals in Italy. Each component of the 1-year prevalence rates has been examined closely, and the results have indicated three main considerations: abolishing the large mental hospital does not abolish the long-stay patients still living in it, and these people will remain a heavy load on the mental health care system for a long time; the new Act has halved admission rates, but the decline may be a positive result if in-care and out-care are sufficiently integrated; treated out-patients tend to increase year by year, and they seem more and more to be "young men and middle-aged women" suffering from minor psychiatric disorders. Finally, a closer collaboration between planners and evaluators is suggested.