[Models of community care for people with severe mental illness: an evaluation of assertive community treatment].

: Today's psychiatric treatment system in Japan is hospital-based. It is supported by mental hospitals established after 1960. However, the psychiatric treatment system has already changed to community-based treatment in other developed countries. So, we need to change to the community-based system for those who are suffering from severe mental illness such as schizophrenia to realize deinstitutionalization. Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) is one of the effective community support programs to improve this situation. It is important to develop a program like "ACT" for clinical and cost effectiveness.