Psychiatry in selected countries of Central and Eastern Europe: an overview of the current situation
Abstract
Objective: To review the current status of psychiatry in selected countries of Central and Eastern Europe: Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, and Slovenia. Method: A group of psychiatrists from the region evaluated the status of psychiatry at the end of 2004 based on data from their countries and information available on WHO homepages.
Results: There is a shift from traditional in-patient facilities towards out-patient and community services as evidenced by a decreasing number of hospital beds. Economic pressures affect the financing of psychiatric services, and reimbursement for novel psychotropics.
Political changes were followed by updated legislation. Psychiatric training, pre-, postgraduate and continuous medical education, are gradually being transformed.
Scientific output as measured by publications in peer-reviewed journals has been significantly lower than in the West. Conclusion: The major changes in the period of transition documented in the review pose new challenges for psychiatry.