Mental health care in Berlin.

AIM: To provide information on the mental health care system in Berlin, Germany.

METHOD: Using available data we report on the spectrum of mental health care services provided in Berlin, the number of professionals working in these sectors, funding arrangements, pathways into care, and user/carer involvement.

RESULTS

The health care system in Berlin consists of a network of inpatient, outpatient, ancillary, and rehabilitative facilities, all of which are meant to work in a synergistic fashion. However, although the individual treatment options are generally well-planned, there is still a lack of co-ordination between them. Currently, the entire network is threatened by cuts in state funding for ancillary and rehabilitative services, by further reductions in the number of hospital beds, and by insurance company cuts in prescription drug budgets, such as those used for atypical antipsychotics in outpatient care.

DISCUSSION: Despite many similarities with the situation in other European capitals, the system of mental health care in Berlin suffers from a variety of problems related to co-ordination and costs that are unique to the German capital.