Who does well in a day treatment program? Following patients through 6 months of treatment

Two rating scales were administered to 44 consecutive admissions to a day treatment program. The anticipated length of stay was 6 months. Better patient outcome was expected where the clinician's Global Assessment Scale (GAS) correlated with the patient's Self Assessment Scale (SAS). Data did not support the congruence of clinician and patient ratings. However, low GAS scores at the point of initial assessment seemed to "predict" early dropout. A follow-up inquiry showed that those who completed the program were in higher-functioning placements than those who dropped out early. Hence, those who benefited most were those who completed the program. Also observed was the fact that males had significantly higher SAS scores. How this contributed to length of stay is discussed.