[Psychiatric hospitalization and maintaining the treatment outside the hospital]

The objective of this study was to identify common features between people that have been recently discharged from psychiatric hospitalization. A quantitative exploratory study was performed at an outpatient mental health service center. The sample was comprised by patients who had recently been discharged. A questionnaire was used and the study was approved by the Review Board. Interviews were performed with 48 patients who were in average 39 years old. Diagnosis for Schizophrenia and Schyzotypal Disorders were prevalent for 33.3% of the sample. An average 13 patients were discharged from psychiatric hospitalization every month, 62.5% of which had been previously hospitalized. In the studied period, 12.5% of the sample required rehospitalization. Psychiatric hospitalization proved to be a necessary resource in crisis episodes and as part of the psychiatric treatment, especially of severe mental disorders. It is evinced that there is a need for adequate treatment maintenance in community health care services to avoid the need of rehospitalizations.