Per Bech became specialist in psychiatry in 1978 and was appointed as a professor of clinical psychiatry at Odense University, Denmark, in 1991. Shortly thereafter, he moved on to Mental Health Centre North Zealand where he established the psychiatric Research Unit. In 2008, he was called by Copenhagen University to take on as professor of Clinical Psychometrics, a discipline that he himself had developed. Per Bech continued his extensive research activities as a professor until his death.
Per Bech’s research mainly focused on the development and validation of psychiatric rating scales. In 1981, he defended his thesis: ‘Rating Scales for Affective Disorders: Their Validity and Consistency’ with Max Hamilton as opponent. Later, he published a comprehensive work titled: ‘Rating Scales for Psychopathology, Health Status and Quality of Life’ (Springer-Verlag) followed by a number of books on clinical psychometrics. For more than 50 years, he belonged to the forefront of psychiatric research due to his continued contribution to the psychometric field. Throughout his career, he was also very interested in psychopharmacology and in new treatment modalities for depression.
Per Bech was elected as a President of European Psychiatric Association (EPA – at that time AEP) in 1993 and was responsible for the first EPA congress in Copenhagen in 1994 as well as the congress in Copenhagen in 1998. During the period 1987–1991, he was Secretary General of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP). He was active in the Danish University Antidepressant Group (DUAG), of which he was the current chairman. In 2014, he was made an honorary member of the Danish Psychiatric Society for his long-standing contribution to Danish psychiatry.
In the period from 1995 to 2005 at Mental Health Centre North Zealand Per Bech led one of WHOs most important European Collaboration Centers, which focused on depression, stress, quality of life, psychometrics, and diagnostic assessments. He created and disseminated one of WHO’s most widely used assessment tools, the WHO-5 Wellbeing Scale, and was responsible for much of its scientific validation.
Many colleagues benefited from Per Bechs unique academic and scientific commitment. He was a supportive and ambitious supervisor, and his door was always open if you had questions. He had a never-failing energy and curiosity and was very enthusiastic about new projects. He gave the impression that our research was just on the border of a Nobel prize! His scientific production included more than 400 scientific articles, books, and book chapters, mainly written in hand. He was an optimistic person with an unusual amount of vibrating energy, and a stringent and meticulous researcher. Since his youth, he was also very interested in and knowledgeable about lyrics, which in our opinion secured a humanistic focus to his scientific efforts. His clinical interest in his patients and their stories was genuine and his patients valued him very much.
A special chapter of his work was the cooperation with his academic and nonacademic coworkers. Per had the gift to see more in his staff than the ability to type manuscripts, make calls, receive patients, etc. He involved all of us in his projects at all levels. This included participation at scientific meetings on his behalf and active participation in research projects. His staff of loyal academic and nonacademic coworkers was the backbone of his research and greatly appreciated by him. Fruitful discussions on an academic level were a necessity for him to get inspired and to inspire others.
Up until his unexpected death, he orchestrated the present special issue on positive psychiatry and wrote its editorial article.
With the death of Per Bech, the psychiatric field has lost one of its great personalities and research authorities. His knowledge and advice will be missed – we will have to carry on his work as best we can.