Methods	Allocation: randomised, sealed envelopes. Blindness: single (researchers). Follow up: 12 months.
Participants	Diagnosis: schizophrenia (86), bipolar affective disorder (20), depressive disorder (24), other (25) (DSM-III, ICD-10, OPCRIT). History: >1 admission in last 3 years. N=155*. Age: range 16-65 years. Setting: urban.
Interventions	1. ’Community team’: multidisciplinary community based team, treatment at home\other appropriate setting. N=82 2. Standard hospital treatment: care plans & reviews organised from hospital base. N=73
Outcomes	Death**. Hospital admission. Leaving the study early. Days in hospital. Police contacts. Unable to use - Mental state: BAS, CPRS, HADS, MADRAS (no SD). Social Function: SFQ(no SD). Global assessment: GAF (no SD). Costs of care. (no usable data).
Notes	* Randomisation at point of discharge from hospital. ** 1 accidental death considered ’suspicious circumstances’ for this review. Contact reviewer = trial author. No data collected on patient satisfaction.
Risk of bias
Item	Authors’ judgement	Description
Allocation concealment?	Unclear	B - Unclear

General

F1 psychosis = Medical Subject Heading Codes.

ICD-10 = 10th revision of the International Classification of Diseases.

OPD = Out patient department.

SCL - Syndrome Check List

SCALES

Mental state

BAS = Brief Rating Scale for Anxiety.

BPRS = Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale.

CPRS = Comprehensive Psychpathological Rating Scale.

MADRAS = Montgomery and Asberg Depression Rating Scale.

OPCRIT = Operational Criterea for diagnosing Severe Mental Illness.

PEF = Psychiatric Evaluation Form.

PSE = Present State Examination (to measure clinical symptoms).

Family buden

FEF = Family Evaluation Form. Functioning

GAF = Global Assessment of Functioning

HSRS = Health Sickness Rating Scale (to measure a persons functioning).

PEF = Psychiatric Evaluation Form.

SFQ = Social Functioning Questionaire.

SFS = Social Functioning Schedule.