Factors related to patient dispositions from psychiatric hospitals

The records of 1100 patients admitted to a short-term state-supported psychiatric hospital were searched. From this sample 174 patients who were transferred to a long-term institution were compared to a matched sample of released patients. Initial comparisons on numerous socioeconomic, diagnostic, behavioral and demographic variables yielded many significant differences. When the subjects were equated for diagnosis, the only variable which appeared to differentiate the groups was age at admission. The implications of these findings, particularly in reference to the role of socioeconomic factors in determining the type, quality and duration of psychiatric treatment were discussed.