Clinical, cognitive and functional characteristics of long-stay patients with schizophrenia: a comparison of VA and state hospital patients.
Long-stay patients constitute a small proportion of all patients with schizophrenia, but in both VA and state psychiatric systems these patients account for a majority of the costs associated with treatment of the illness. VA and state patients would be expected to differ in several respects, including age at onset and premorbid educational status. Little additional information is available about the differences between these samples. Seventy-four long-stay male patients at a chronic state psychiatric center were compared with 50 male veterans from long-stay psychiatric facilities on positive and negative symptoms, cognitive deficits and functional status. The two samples did not differ on positive symptom severity, but the state patients had more severe negative and cognitive symptoms as well as functional deficits. Of all of the variables measured, deficit in self care was the only variable that entered a stepwise discriminant analysis. The correlation between functional and symptomatic variables was the same in both groups, and the group differences and correlations were not influenced by differences in educational status. These data indicate that VA patients may have reduced severity of functional and cognitive impairments relative to state hospital patients, but that the relationship between the different illness variables was similar in the two groups.
Harvey
P D
PD
Department of Psychiatry, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, Box 1229, 10029, New York, NY, USA. pdharvey@compuserve.com
Jacobsen
H
H
Mancini
D
D
Parrella
M
M
White
L
L
Haroutunian
V
V
Davis
K L
KL
D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D006783:Hospitals, State; D006787:Hospitals, Veterans; D006801:Humans; D008134:Long-Term Care; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010343:Patient Admission; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D014481:United States