Background: The de-, re- and trans-institutionalization of psychiatric care has resulted in a number of changes in the interventions available to persons with severe mental disorders. Aims: This article describes the design of a naturalistic follow-up study of persons with a psychosis diagnosis, the characteristics of the study population, and the interventions they received prior to study participation from various agencies in and outside of mental healthcare. Method: data from various registers, such as psychiatric and social services case registers, criminal records, and the cause of death register have been collected and analyzed. Results: Under the period 1997-2004, 42% were in contact only with out-patient care, 58% were in contact with the social services, and 2% had served prison sentences. Conclusions: Studies need to include interventions that are provided beyond the scope of psychiatric services in order to assess the extent of the existing support network and the long-term outcomes for persons with a psychosis diagnosis. The lack of a gender perspective in psychiatric research also needs to be addressed.