Organization of Community Mental Health Care in Italy
De Giorgi S., Di Vincenzo M., De Giorgi R., Sampogna G., Fiorillo A.
In Italy, the approval of the 180 Law in 1978, also known as Basaglia Law, marked the transition from an asylum-based to a community-based mental health care system. According to the law, patients with mental disorders are treated in the community, are integrated into society, and their rights and preferences on treatments are recognized. Following the Italian model, similar acts were approved worldwide. By 2000, all psychiatric hospitals in Italy had been closed and all patients discharged. Within the Italian National Health System, the Department of Mental Health is responsible for the provision of community-based mental health care. It includes several facilities, such as psychiatric wards located in general hospitals, residential units, mental health centres, and day-hospital and day-care facilities. The main effects of the 180 Law include the shift from a custiodialistic to a therapeutic paradigm of mental health care and the respect for autonomy and dignity of patients with mental health problems. However, after more than 45 years from its approval, several unmet needs still persist, including low staffing levels, reduced use of community facilities as long-stay services, and economic disparities between regions.