title: Treatment progress in medium security hospital settings for women: changes in symptoms, personality and service need from admission to discharge.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Service evaluations of medium secure hospital facilities for women are underrepresented in the extant literature.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  That positive changes in symptoms, personality traits and service need would be evident between admission and discharge among women in a medium security hospital service.
  
  
  METHODS
  A pre-test/post-test design was used, with comparisons made between admission and pre-discharge points on a variety of measures of psychiatric symptoms and personality traits.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were significant improvements in mood according to Beck Depression Inventory scores, mood and other symptoms of mental disorder and distress as measured by the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale and the Modified Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Scale, personality traits recorded using the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory III and service need as measured by the Camberwell Assessment of Need, Forensic Version.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Significant positive change during treatment, in all clinical areas, is encouraging given poor outcomes for women reported in other research. Findings cannot, however, be unequivocally attributed to the treatments given. Further work is needed to improve early engagement and tailor treatment more specifically to the needs of a heterogeneous population.
authors.affiliation: St Andrew's Academic Centre, King's College London Institute of Psychiatry, Northampton, UK; St Andrew's Healthcare, Northampton, UK.
authors.forename: Clive G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Long
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Dolley
authors.forename: Clive R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Hollin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D057237:Criminals / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D010351:Patient Discharge; D010551:Personality; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011613:Psychotherapy