ORGANISATION OF MENTAL HEALTH CARE FOR ADULTS IN BELGIUM
Mental health is a fundamental component of good health. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines mental health as 'a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community'. Consequently, mental health problems range from the worries we all experience as part of everyday life to serious long-term conditions. The WHO pyramid Framework for mental health1 pleads for a comprehensive care offer and continuity of care. From a policy viewpoint every government needs to evaluate whether its mental health care system is effective and efficient and provides easy access for every civilian. Also for Belgium this exercise is important, especially in the light of recent social and political phenomena. In past decades the organisation of mental health care in Belgium underwent several reform waves with the main aim to further orient mental health care towards a reduction of residential hospital care in favour of recovery and reintegration treatment in the community. In order to attaint this objective, policies to promote five core foundations (i.e. deinstitutionalisation, inclusion, decategorisation, intensification, and consolidation)2 were developed. In 2016, the inter-cabinet working group (IKW – GTI) 'task force on Mental Health care' asked the KCE to look at the provision of mental health care services and the needs of the population. The current study focused on an in-depth analysis of the organisation of mental health services in Belgium with a need to clearly visualize the present care offer and to evaluate the organisation and continuity of care for the future decade. The objective of this study was to describe the Belgian mental health care offer in order to take into account possible gaps and overlaps between existing services and to assess the Belgian landscape against internationally defined frameworks. The results of this report should assist policy-makers in setting priorities and making strategic decisions regarding the organisation of mental health care. The study gives an overview of the Belgian mental health care landscape for adults including: (1) the care offer (the different organisations and service providers), (2) the identification of gaps and overlaps between service providers and how they may affect the five core foundations of the mental health care reform, 3) benchmark the Belgian situation in relation to the internationally developed frameworks for the provision of mental health care services for adults, and 4) the acceptability of future organisational measures/changes
