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Treatment of depression is based on comprehensive diagnostic, clinical and psychosocial evaluation. Brief psychotherapies (cognitive, interpersonal, psychodynamic or problem-solving) are effective in mild to moderate depression; antidepressants in mild to severe, and electroconvulsive therapy in severe or psychotic. Combining antidepressants and psychotherapy is more effective than either alone. After the acute phase, antidepressants should be continued for six months to prevent relapses, and maintenance treatment considered after three lifetime episodes. Primary care is responsible for treatment of mild to moderate depressions; developing psychiatric consultation services and use of nurse case managers are recommended.

Early recognition and treatment of persons at risk of psychosis is emphasized in the updated Current Care Schizophrenia guideline. Antipsychotic medication is effective in the treatment. To avoid side-effects, the lowest possible effective dosage is recommended. Psychosocial interventions, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, psychoeducation and social skills training, as well as cognitive rehabilitation should be integrated with other treatments according to patient's individual needs. Supported employment is a feasible option to some patients. Care of people with schizophrenia is primarily offered in an outpatient setting.

Quality of life is difficult to define and utilizes hundreds of indicators partly arriving at different results. By measuring losses of the quality of life, general psychiatric disorders compare with the most severe chronic somatic diseases. The effects of anxiety and affective symptoms are major, calling for more attention on their treatment. Patients with schizophrenia often have life quality assessments that are more positive than those of the surrounding people, a fact that should be considered in setting of the objectives of their treatment. The losses of the quality of life of the patients' close relatives should also be taken into account.

The treatment of depression is based on careful diagnostic evaluation. In the acute phase of treatment, brief psychotherapies (cognitive, interpersonal, psychodynamic or problem-solving) are effective in cases of mild to moderate depression. Antidepressants are also effective, their importance increasing alongside the level of severity. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is effective for severe or psychotic depression. After the acute phase, antidepressants must be continued for at least six months to prevent a relapse; maintenance antidepressant treatment must be considered after three lifetime episodes. Primary health care is responsible for the majority of mild to moderate cases of depression, but psychiatric consultation services and nurse case managers are required to fulfill this task.