Mental health and use of care in people receiving a French social benefit.

Background: This paper presents and epidemiological survey of 300 adults randomly sampled among the Parisian population and 207 randomly sampled recipients of a social benefit. The RMI (Revenu Minimal d'Insertion) provides a regular minimal income to any person with resources below a certain level. It is not targeted at people with mental health problems.

[Epidemiology and prevention of mental disorders].

From a bibliographic analysis and personal experiences, the authors present the advantages of the epidemiologic method in psychiatry. They point out its specificity and the methodological difficulties. Since the psychiatric practices are being deeply transformed, it becomes essential to know precisely the importance and the distribution of mental diseases in the population.

[Planning in mental health--is it possible?].

The author opens the subject by questioning "why" and "how" to plan for mental health. Planification is a public health process. This process made modern countries able to develop health care policies in accordance to scientific progress.