title: Hospitalization patterns in schizophrenia. A 13-year follow-up.
abstract: All first admitted patients in 1972 from a catchment area of 582,000 inhabitants aged 15 years or more who were diagnosed as schizophrenic at least once from 1972 until September 1983 (n = 53) were followed-up on average 13 years after first admission. About 20% of the cohort was hospitalized on any given day throughout the length of the follow-up period. The duration of hospitalization decreased from a mean of 8.2 months for the first admission to 1.7 months for the tenth or later admission. The readmission risk increased as a function of the number of previous admissions. Patients with income from occupation or from grants for education had shorter duration of first in-patient period. If the patients were diagnosed as schizophrenics already during the first hospitalization the risk for prolonged duration of the first in-patient period was increased but the readmission risk diminished. Furthermore, readmission risk after the first discharge was diminished by own income and by out-patient treatment and increased by low social status. High proportion of follow-up time in hospital (greater than or equal to 30%) was correlated to affective flattening present at first admission. Of the cohorts' total number of admissions (n = 493) 12% were involuntary. Involuntary admissions were more frequent in the first half of the follow-up period and were correlated to a previous involuntary admission.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychiatric Demography, Psychiatric Hospital in Aarhus, Risskov, Denmark.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Munk-Jørgensen
authors.forename: P B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Mortensen
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Machón
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000639:trends*; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000639:trends; D008297:Male; D010359:Patient Readmission / Q000639:trends; D012050:Rehabilitation, Vocational / Q000639:trends; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012917:Social Adjustment; D012931:Social Environment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors