Organisation

In a Danish context, social psychiatry is a complement to psychiatric treatment services and can best be described as community-based social services ensuring that the needs and rights of people with psychiatric disabilities are met Social services in Denmark are highly decentralised and managed by local or regional government. Both have their own set of rules when it comes to the provision of services. Therefore, social psychiatry services vary greatly across the country, reflecting not only the diversity of rural, small or large urban needs but also differing local resources and service history development. Treatment services such as hospitals, district psychiatry and specialist teams operate under the Ministry of Health and Prevention and the Mental Health Act (Consolidation Act on Coercive Measures in Psychiatric Treatment).

Mental Health Act	Legislation	Act on Social Services
Diagnosis and medical treatment	Focus on	Functional Impairment
Medical practioners	Management	Interdisciplinary, not medical practitioners
Interdisciplinary Predominantly Heatlh professionals	Occupational Groups	Interdisciplinary Predominently social care professionals
Regions	Administrative authorities	Local authorities and regions

 
It is the general practitioners who are the key link to health services. The challenge is to ensure effective co-operation between hospital psychiatry, social psychiatry and GP.