The independant psychiatrist and the Regional Institute for Ambulant Mentid Health Care
It is policy of the dutch government to ct. eate a less complicated and confusing system of mental health care. Instead of a large number of sometimes competitive functioning offices and foundations, there should rome in every region of 100.000 à 300.000 inhabitants a center in which all activities are coordinated.
The intention of this paper is to indicate the danger that this center might forget the integration of the indepent psychiatrists of the region in the planning, leaving the job only to public servants. Because more than 50°/o of the mental patients are treated by independant psychiatrists, their participation seems to be crucial for a integrated system of ambulant mental health care.
To get a good link between social psychiatrist, social worker and psychologist on one side and the independant psychiatrist on the other side, it is recommended, that in every region the cotiperating independant psychiatrists divide the work in more clinical of biological orientated psychiatry and more sociological orientated psychiatry.
The role of ihose psychiatrists' IS described. The co-operation and interaction between all participants in the regional institutes for ambulant mental health care are discussed.