Individualised care in mental health and psychiatric care

Individualised care has been part of international discussion in mental healthservices and psychiatric care since 1990s. The discussion is originally based on a wide movement in psychiatry towards community care away from institutionalised and less human approaches in mental health services. However, a connotation of the concept of ‘individualised care’ varies in the literature. There is also a great variation on how the concept of individualised care has been used in different mental healthcare services or in psychiatric care regarding guidelines, strategies, research or educational purposes. In addition, different methods have been used to describe a realisation in individualised care in different target population. In this book chapter, we will first overview how individualised care in mental health and psychiatric care has been defined in different context. Second, we will list the measures and outcomes, which have been used to assess the realisation of individualised care in daily practices. Third, the interventions or programmes used to support individualised care in special target groups will be described. Fourth, the realisation and impact of individualised care will be described.