title: A survey of patients leaving a mental hospital against medical advice.
abstract: A consecutive series of 100 male psychiatric patients who requested release against medical advice during an 11-month period was compared with a control group consisting of a random sample of 100 patients admitted during the same period who did not submit such a request. The majority of those who submitted the request were alcoholics or schizophrenics. The authors found that a sizable number were either separated or divorced, were younger than patients in the control group, and were in more turbulent phases of their illness. A surprising finding was that 60 patients submitted the request while on an open ward.
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000374:Aggression; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000534:rehabilitation; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D010359:Patient Readmission; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000628:therapy