[Assertive care as new treatment perspective for Austria].

Although intensive, assertive treatment options in child and adoledcent psychiatry have been successfully evaluated and established in several countries, this development is just beginning in Austria. As part of the so called home-treatment, care is provided by a multiprofessional team to patients with severe mental disorders, who would otherwise be treated in an inpatiet setting at their own home. This opens up the opportunity for a better generalizability of therapeutic progress and an intensive work with the family system. Alternative models for inpatient care like home-treatment, show the potential for intensive therapeutic options independent of building structures. Further development of this therapeutic option based on evaluated model projects is desirable within the Austrian health care system.