Met and unmet needs of severely mentally ill persons - The Psychiatric Care Reform in Sweden

Background: There has been a process of deinstitutionalisation and mental health care reforms in most countries in Europe. The objective of this study was to discuss the effects of the Psychiatric Care Reform in Sweden in 1995 on the development of needs of severely mentally ill persons and to analyse whether the efforts made by social services and psychiatric care have been more adequate since the reform. Method: Two hundred and eighteen persons who were considered to be severely mentally ill both in 1995/96 and 2000/2001, using the same criteria of definition, were interviewed using the same form of interview and their needs were assessed according to Camberwell Assessment of Need on both occasions. Results: The results were in the expected direction. The total sum of unmet needs and unmet needs in important need-domains had decreased on the occasion of the second interview. The degree of effort by psychiatric care and social services had increased. Conclusions: The target group had made some progress. Due to methodological difficulties, it was not possible to ascribe these results to the reform, but the often negative picture of the reform deserves to be more nuanced.