This book places modern mental health services in their historical context, describes the range of methods and programs used to provide such services, and emphasizes integration between service components and the use of multi-disciplinary teams. It provides an introduction to the basic knowledge underlying the practice of modern community psychiatry in epidemiology, administration, and mental health services research.Community psychiatry does not deal only with the interaction between a patient and a doctor, but with the system of services and interactions that is needed to treat a variety of patients and to provide long-term care, support and rehabilitation. Modern community psychiatry is pragmatic; it measures its success in cost effectiveness rather than by fidelity to any theoretical model. It stresses interdisciplinary teamwork and involvement of consumers. These lessons are now being applied in the private sector as better organised, managed systems of care are evolving.