ABSTRACT
The newly established Department of neuropsychiatry of the Medical Center of Karlovac opened on November 3rd, 1969, thus enabling a comprehensive and modern approach to people with mental disorders. Prior to its opening, the first stage of the hospital in Svarca was completed. Up until that point, psychiatric care had been inadequate despite the enthusiasm of individuals, such as Dr. Andrija Stampar who worked in Karlovac in 1912 and 1913. The first decade of the Department's work marked the overload of "mixing" psychiatric and neurological cases, as well as the leadership of the scholar, Prim. Dr. Drazen Neimarevic. The establishment of separate departments in 1980 showed improvement in the working conditions, and further steps were made with the formation of day hospitals for alcoholism and psychotherapy. Better access to patients was achieved due to the independence of psychiatric care in 1994. The start of the 21st century saw innovative breakthroughs with the opening of the first unit for treating sexual disorders in Croatia and the establishment of one of the first mobile psychiatric teams within the national implementation of Community-based psychiatry model. In honor of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Department of neuropsychiatry in the General Hospital Karlovac, it is important to give thanks to everyone who contributed to the development of psychiatric care. Following the foundations that were laid, it is necessary to adapt and improve the approaches to those with mental disorders, with the aim to provide recovery and destigmatization. Finally, following the development in Croatian psychiatry and parallel activities in similar institutions, the overview of "psychiatry in Karlovac" can be used as a representative sample of the development in other institutions and similar county/regional centers.
