This book deals with the provision of psychiatric services to populations, a task which requires an integrated system of service components. Generally the target population comprises the residents of a specific geographic area, but it may be a special population, such as homeless people or people with AIDS. 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 for patients with chronic disorders. Modern community psychiatry is pragmatic rather than doctrinaire; it measures its success in cost-effectiveness rather than by its faithfulness to any particular theoretical model. It stresses interdisciplinary teamwork and the involvement of consumers. These lessons, learned by community psychiatrists working in the public sector over several decades, are now being increasingly applied in the private sector as better organized, managed systems of care are evolving. This book describes the history of public mental health services and the underpinnings of modern community psychiatry in epidemiology, mental health services research, and administration. It then describes the methods and strategies used to provide the range of services that constitute a comprehensive mental health program. The authors discuss the public health principles that underlie community approaches and present the methods used within the several components of a comprehensive service system to address the needs of specific populations, stressing interdisciplinary teamwork and coordination within an integrated service network.