title: Clinical and social outcomes five years after closing a mental hospital: a trial of cognitive behavioural interventions.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To investigate the outcome of patients transferred from hospital to community care in Como, Italy after 6 months intensive psychosocial rehabilitation prior to discharge.
  
  
  METHODS
  All 149 residents with a primary psychiatric diagnosis were assigned to receive either a 6-month pre-discharge course of goal-oriented rehabilitation, (IT), or routine management, (RT). BPRS and GAF ratings were made by blind, independent assessors before and at 12, 24, 36, 48, and 60 months after discharge and the results examined with repeated measures analysis of variance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall change in residence was achieved without any major detriment to the health and welfare of most patients. The cohort of patients who received intensive rehabilitation, (IT), prior to discharge showed significantly lower impairment and disability throughout the five years compared to the cohort receiving routine management, (RT), prior to discharge. Total BPRS scores remained significant when initial differences in the cohorts were covaried, whereas GAF failed to remain significant (p = 0.051).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The treatment provided prior to transfer from long-stay hospital to community residence may have long-term clinical benefits for chronically disabled patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Health, Appiano Gentile, Como, Italy. antoniomastroeni@fastwebnet.it
authors.forename: Antonino
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mastroeni
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bellotti
authors.forename: Esterina
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pellegrini
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Galletti
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Ian R H
authors.initials: IR
authors.lastname: Falloon