Abstract
At the current level of development in psychiatry, in the conditions of deinstitutionalization of mental health services and increased opportunities for control of the symptoms of mental disorders, the problem related to the socialization of patients is becoming more and more relevant. More than 50% of patients with schizophrenia are in a socially active age, which gives rise to the social significance of their rehabilitation.
 International practice shows that all specialists dealing with the rehabilitation of patients with mental disorders need to undergo training, which includes the adoption of special methods and techniques. Their work is complex, long and creative.
 In Bulgaria there are many national strategies that present different programs for long-term care or only analyze the current situation and care needs. There is no clear vision of how exactly in the future and with what means and specialists this process will take place. The development of psychiatric care lags far behind the needs of the population. There is a serious risk that the lack of trained specialists can ruin the good intentions for deinstitutionalization.
 The goal of the present study is to examine the readiness of specialists working in specialized medical institutions and social services to work with patients and users suffering from mental illness.
 A survey method was used among specialists from medical institutions and social services for patients with mental and behavioral disorders.
 Most of the specialists in psychiatric hospitals in Bulgaria feel prepared to work with the mentally ill - 88.9%;
 Almost everyone believes that they need additional training.
Highlights
Providing medical and social care for patients with schizophrenia with an unfavourable course of illness, severe negative symptoms, difficult adaptation in society, limited employment and independent living is one of the main activities in providing long-term care to psychiatric patients
The goal of the present study is to examine the readiness of specialists working in specialized medical institutions and social services to work with patients and users suffering from mental illness
The main reason for this change is that access to mental health care for people with long-term mental disorders is much better done with community services than traditional psychiatric hospitals
Summary
Providing medical and social care for patients with schizophrenia with an unfavourable course of illness, severe negative symptoms, difficult adaptation in society, limited employment and independent living is one of the main activities in providing long-term care to psychiatric patients. The quality of life of these patients in all countries remains extremely low (Priebe et al, 1998; Chadzynka et al, 2003) They quickly lose social connections and contacts with relatives, self-care skills. The only way by which modern societies deal with this problem is deinstitutionalization - transformation of psychiatric hospitals to a small number of short-term accommodation for acute cases and outsourcing services to patients and families in the community by developing a network of daycare centers for psychosocial rehabilitation, sheltered housing with nonstop medical and other social services. The main reason for this change is that access to mental health care for people with long-term mental disorders is much better done with community services than traditional psychiatric hospitals. Services in the community are related to greater customer satisfaction and more satisfying everyday needs
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