Quality-Of-Life Issues in Mental Health Care: Past, Present, and Future

With progress in medicine, it gradually became apparent that the ultimate purpose of health interventions is to enhance the quality of life (QoL) rather than to simply prolong life. Over the last two decades, this concept has been applied to almost all aspects of health care. Despite debates on definition and components, it is now widely agreed that QoL is-sues are central to health care, including mental health care. Quality definition in mental health and its measurement poses special problems. However, QoL has been assessed in many psychiatric disorders, and serial QoL assessment now forms an essential part of research protocols in therapeutic trials. QoL issues in relation to mental health care is especially relevant with regard to: baseline assessment of severity of the disease condition; part of evaluation of treatment outcome; identification of high-risk population; setting goals for psychosocial therapies and rehabilitation; and finally, health education, prevention and policy making. Research conducted in QoL aspects of severe mental disorders are summarized and their implications highlighted. Conceptual and methodological questions in such research are also dis-cussed (German J Psychiatry 2004; 7 (3): 35-43)