[The night clinic--a social psychiatric facility].

The concept of a psychiatric night clinic is shown on the basis of an experience made over 10, respectively 7 years in two such clinics belonging to a sociopsychiatric service. The importance of this halfway-house within the framework of a sociopsychiatric treatment is discussed as well as the indicative criteria, the therapeutic effect, the duration of the stay in the clinic, the organisational structure and the relationship with the family members.