Social characteristics of newly admitted mental hospital patients--a replication study

Data were examined on all patients entering the admission wards of a large provincial mental hospital in 1979. Out of a total of 534 admissions, 470 came from permanent addresses, most of the rest from supportive accommodation or transitory addresses, while less than 2% were of no fixed abode. Only 73 of the sample, mostly aged over 60 years remained in hospital after a year: 17 died and 444 were discharged. Of the discharged patients, 45(10.3%) could not return to their original addresses. Comparison is made with the results previously reported from a London mental hospital.