Assessing Outcomes for Sufferers of Severe Mental Disorder: a Conceptual Framework and Review

A conceptual framework for classifying the outcomes of services for severe mental disorders sufferers is used to organize an illustrative review of existing outcome measures. It is concluded that: measures of safety & welfare require considerable development; more attention needs to be focused on defining & measuring “life satisfaction & fulfillment”; the functional status area requires additional research & development; the family perspective & context must be integrated into clinical measures.