[Chronic hospitalizations in Poland from 1980 to 1989]

The aim of the following research was to present and try to explain the features of chronic hospitalizations in psychiatric hospitals in Poland during the 1980's. According to the definition adopted when working with inpatients, patients hospitalized for over one year are regarded as chronic. The percentage of chronic patients in the general patient population was found to be 8% of all hospitalizations. The largest number of chronically hospitalized patients was found among those diagnosed as mentally retarded (29%) and schizophrenic (15%). The least number of chronic hospitalizations was found among patients with a diagnosis of alcoholism (1%) and among the non-psychotic patients (4%). In the years 1980 to 1989 there was a systematic fall in the previously increasing rate of chronic hospitalizations of people diagnoses as non-alcoholic psychotic and mentally retarded to about 70% of the number registered at the beginning of the decade. The fall in the rate of increase of chronic hospitalization is mainly due to the fall in the rate of growth of the chronically hospitalized group. This fall is not significantly connected with the movement of patients to community based services or with the increased mortality rate during the 1980's. The causes of this phenomenon remain unanswered. It may be the result of the better and more accessible forms of treatment, such as intermediate treatment, which are an alternative to long-term hospitalizations. Another reason may be the more effective forms of hospital treatment and the fact that psychiatric hospitals are using the "revolving door" strategy.