A three-year follow-up study of patients in a day treatment program

A 3-year follow-up study was conducted with 73 psychiatric patients in a Finnish day treatment program. The treatment outcome for these patients, who carried a wide range of diagnoses, was measured using psychiatric rehospitalization as a criterion. There were a large number of patients who were disabled and had been receiving social security benefits during the 3 years following discharge from the day treatment program. The rehospitalized cases involved mainly patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or personality disorder; use of neuroleptic medication was significantly associated with poor results. The numbers of psychiatric hospitalizations before treatment in the day treatment program in 1985 was found to be independent of hospitalizations during follow-up years. The results of the study support the claim that day treatment does not increase the likelihood of rehospitalization. Day treatment may reduce the length of stay during rehospitalization, but it is also clear that it cannot stop the rehospitalization of patients with severe diagnoses.