Community-Based Psychiatric Treatment in Romania: Past, Present, Future

Abstract

Community psychiatry has its origins in the West, in the 1950s, when many institutions for the mentally ill have been closed down, in an effort to shift the focus from hospital-based care to a community based one. The current paper aims to review the available literature regarding the community based psychiatric treatment in Romania.
 The Ministry of Health in Romania is dedicated to promoting mental health education and to creating a mental health system that ensures that every patient has access to care and treatments designed for their own particular needs. Today, in Romania, as in all Central and Eastern Europe, mental health systems are transitioning from hospital-based care to community-based services. The RECOVER-E project, the SEE Mental Health Project, the Horizons project, among others, showcase Romanias mental healthcare system to improving the chances for recovery of mental health patients.
 Community Psychiatry in Romania is a budding field that can greatly aid in the management and treatment of psychiatric patients of urban and rural areas. In order to create a strong and efficient network of specialists invested in this cause, efforts must be made to apply the principles of deinstitutionalization and community health care.