This monograph evaluates a community-based psychiatric care system established in South-Verona, Italy, in 1978, following the implementation of Law 180, which aimed to phase out mental hospitals and establish a comprehensive community-based system. The shift from hospital-centered to community-based psychiatry has been gradual in Western countries, driven by advancements in patient management, improvements in social services, and self-help initiatives. Despite these changes, concerns about the disadvantages of hospital-based care persist. The Italian model, unique in its speed and legal prescription, differs from American experiences by gradually phasing out mental hospitals and integrating various psychiatric facilities within district-based systems. The monograph aims to evaluate this alternative community psychiatric service, highlight the importance of considering both general and specialist levels of care, and demonstrate how a psychiatric case register can serve as a research tool for epidemiological studies and follow-up research.This monograph evaluates a community-based psychiatric care system established in South-Verona, Italy, in 1978, following the implementation of Law 180, which aimed to phase out mental hospitals and establish a comprehensive community-based system. The shift from hospital-centered to community-based psychiatry has been gradual in Western countries, driven by advancements in patient management, improvements in social services, and self-help initiatives. Despite these changes, concerns about the disadvantages of hospital-based care persist. The Italian model, unique in its speed and legal prescription, differs from American experiences by gradually phasing out mental hospitals and integrating various psychiatric facilities within district-based systems. The monograph aims to evaluate this alternative community psychiatric service, highlight the importance of considering both general and specialist levels of care, and demonstrate how a psychiatric case register can serve as a research tool for epidemiological studies and follow-up research.