title: Psychiatric patients who discharge themselves against medical advice.
abstract: Hospital treatment staff are constantly faced with the problem of psychiatric patients who discharge themselves against medical advice before their treatment is completed. A total of 50 patients who signed themselves out of the 9th floor service of the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, over a two year period, were analyzed. When compared with a random sample of patients who remained for the duration of their treatment, the authors found the AMA patients to have the following characteristics: The patient is likely to be a young male, admitted as an emergency, remain in hospital for three days or less and have a diagnosis of personality disorder or schizophrenia. The authors conclude with a number of recommendations to assist in dealing with the problem.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010351:Patient Discharge; D010352:Patient Dropouts / Q000523:psychology*; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012737:Sex Factors