Background: The "Psychiatrie-Enquete" (German Report on the State of Psychiatry) is 40 years old this year. It has always been inspirational; also internationally.
Objective: Which innovative elements of community mental health services can be found in an international perspective?
Materials and methods: Narrative review.
Results: Community mental health care is a lively field with much research and innovative practice. With assertive community treatment (ACT) and home treatment (HT), internationally well-evaluated forms of community mental health care are available.
Conclusion: Recovery-based and peer-to-peer approaches hold promise for the future. In terms of mid- and long-term perspectives, an increase in patient-centering via individualization of mental health care and a better implementation of community mental health interventions would be desirable in Germany.
Keywords: Assertive community treatment; Community mental health care; Home treatment; Peer-to-peer approach; Recovery.