People Living in Community with a Severe Mental Illness: Utilization and Satisfaction with Care and Support

The object of this paper was to investigate the experiences of patients with severe mental illness (SMI) living in a community, including their utilization of care and treatment services. Psychiatric care and social services staff members were asked to make an inventory of those they served in two districts of Malmö, Sweden. Participants had to be over 18 years of age and unable to manage their daily lives without help from others. Almost all of the 80 participants (95 %) were under psychiatric care. A majority (86 %) was receiving dental treatment, and 61 % were supported by social services. Fifty-four percent of the participants received somatic care on an ongoing basis. Although the majority reported the care given as sufficient, one-third of this SMI population considered the care and support they received to be insufficient. Satisfying those who are dissatisfied with the care they are being given would be a significant challenge for service providers, since the unsatisfied are shown to have more difficult lives.